Being Green
by TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne
Summary: Beast Boy loses his powers and faces an uncertain future. The only thing he can count on is the woman he loves. Chapter 13 is published: The Epilogue
1. Chapter 1

Klaxons blared and red lights flashed inside the Jump City nuclear power plant. Non essential power plant workers were being evacuated while the core team worked feverishly to shut down the runaway experimental Xenothium reactor. In the middle of all the mayhem, forgotten by those present, was Dr. Arthur Light, who was busy packing a lead lined suit case with as many Xenothium canisters as would fit inside.

It was Dr. Light who triggered the reactor meltdown, and he was pleased with the results as no one was stopping his heist in the cavernous reactor room. It was like taking candy from a baby and he hummed happily, oblivious to the multiple alarms ringing in the room. Oblivious, that is, until he heard a familiar voice above the calamitous din in the reactor room.

"Dr. Light! Sabotaging a Xenothium reactor? That's low even for you!" A gravelly monotone interrupted his good mood. He turned around and found himself face to face with the violet haired sorceress.

"I'm not afraid of you, not anymore!" He growled at her.

"You should be, you have no idea of what I can do." She replied.

A light burst shot out from a cannon in of the chest section of his suit. It hit Raven and knocked her off her feet and she fell on her back, convulsing as energy tendrils danced on her body. Dr. Light grinned maliciously as he looked at the remaining four Titans. Within moments sonic blasts, star bolds and miscellaneous bird-a-rangs went flying in his direction. With a hand gesture he summoned an energy shield, which protected him flawlessly.

"I'm no longer a push over; you're no match for me, Titans!" He shouted in a smug tone as he fired another blast, this time at Starfire; which the princess was barely able to dodge.

Dr. Light, still grinning while Raven slowly got back on her feet. He focused on Raven and a smirk appeared on his face.

"Where is your idiot, green boyfriend? Was he too afraid of me to show his face?"

Raven balled her fists. "He's closer than you think, you dullard!"

At that moment he heard a buzzing sound near his ear. He instinctively swatted in the air, but he only found air. The buzzing continued and the Pharaoh of Photons saw the most hideous green wasp he had ever seen; its stinger looked hungry for his exposed skin. He continued swatting at it, still missing.

"Stay away, from me! I'm allergic to insect venom!"

"We know that." Raven droned as she and the other four Titans began to close in on the villain. He did not see them approaching as he phobia of the green wasp had transformed into a full blown panic.

"I said stay away from me!" He yelled as he began to fire with his wrist blasters at the green wasp, which easily dodged his shots while sticking its tongue out at him.

"Good work Beast Boy" Robin muttered to himself as they continued to close in on the distracted villain. "Keep him busy."

Robin produced a bolo rope which he threw at Dr. Light's legs, which became trapped and immobilized. Unable to move his legs, Dr' Light lost his balance and with his arms flailing he began to fall. He continued firing and his last shot missed the changeling by a mile.

His shot did find an unexpected target, a backup cooling tank for the reactor, and it punctured it. Orange gas began to spew from the tank right at the green wasp. Raven watched in horror as the changeling began to sputter before falling to the ground. Raven ran to his side. Before she could pick him up he morphed back into his human form, gasping for breath and looking very pale.

"Cyborg, Gar's hurt!" She shouted, the panic evident in her voice.

Robin was tying up Dr. Light with Starfire's assistance. "We got this under control. Take him to the infirmary! Cyborg! Do what you can!"

The tin man nodded, unable to hide the fear on his face. Raven's black hemisphere appeared and the three Titans vanished.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _48 hours later …_

The four Titans huddled around the changeling's med station. Cyborg tapped on a panel and heaved a sigh.

"He's stabilized … he's gonna be OK."

Raven stood next to her boyfriend, holding his hand. They were just a few weeks away from their first anniversary as a couple. Their teammates had been quietly speculating how long it would be until the changeling proposed to his now 22 year old girlfriend. He had grown and was now taller than Raven and he had buffed out as well. But lying unconscious in his med station he looked weak and vulnerable. Raven looked towards Cyborg.

"If he's OK, then why isn't his skin green?"

"I dunno, I'm running some blood tests. I'm concerned too."

Raven sighed before leaning over to kiss him on his forehead. As she did that her sharp eyes noticed that the roots of his hair and the faint stubble on his face were no longer green … they were blond.

"Cyborg! Look at this, he new hair growth isn't green."

The tin man's electronic eyes zoomed out as he examined his friend. "You're right, it is blond."

At that very moment Garfield Logan began to stir and he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw were here own indigo eyes. He smiled at her.

"Hey there, mama."

Raven ignored his latest pet name for her. "How do you feel?"

"I feel kinda weird, like I'm not myself."

He looked at his ungloved and no longer green hands. A shriek escaped his lips.

"Rave! What's happening to me?"

"We aren't sure … it's probably nothing. We're running some tests." She replied in an unconvincing tone.

Garfield leaped out of his bed and ran to a full sized mirror in the infirmary. He stared in disbelief at the Caucasian man in the mirror. He closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating.

"Raven!" He cried out in panic.

She wrapped her arms around him. "Relax, Cyborg says you're OK."

"I'm not OK."

"Gar, your skin pigmentation, it's probably temporary. Relax, I'm here with you, you're going to be OK."

He looked her in the eyes. She could feel the panic emanating from him.

"Raven … I can't morph … I just tried."

Raven felt her own windpipe tighten upon hearing his words. "I'm sure it's just temporary."

He wrapped his arms around her. She looked at Cyborg. "Can he leave the infirmary now?"

"I don't see why not."

She turned back to her lover. "Let's get out of here and go to our room."

 _ **-( - )-**_

The afternoon in their room was a quiet one. Garfield's panic was gone; but what Raven was sensing now was hopelessness. He had spent the entire afternoon trying to morph and failing every time. He eventually gave up and plopped down on their bed, face down.

Raven looked upon his now fair skinned body and began to wonder if perhaps his change was permanent. She recalled the incident years before, when she tried to bottle up her fears and as a result she temporarily lost her powers. She recalled how scared and helpless she felt, how naked she felt.

She looked at her boyfriend, who had now curled up into a fetal position. She kicked off her boots and removed her cape, after which she curled up next to him. He rolled over and buried his face in her chest. She ran her fingers through his still green hair.

"Would you like to like to make love?" She whispered in his ear.

This surprised him, as he was the one who would have to take the first step. He shook his head.

"I'm not really in the mood." He whispered back.

"Gar, no matter what the outcome is; you know that I still love you and I always will."

"I know. What I don't know is why?"

Before she could rebuke him for that remark her communicator chirped. She reached for it and flipped it open. Cyborg's grim face was on it.

"Y'all better come on over to the infirmary, I know what's happened to BB."

 _ **-( - )-**_

The five Titans gathered around the small table in the infirmary. Cyborg had a sheaf of print outs before him. Garfield didn't seem to be fully present and he stared blankly at the table's surface. Raven's body language betrayed her impatience.

"Well? Why is Gar white?"

The tin man heaved an unhappy sigh.

"Well, as we all know BB's powers come from having the Sakutia virus in his body. His parents created a counter serum for the virus, and a side effect of the two fighting each other was the source of his transformative powers."

"Was?" Robin asked.

"Yeah … was. Whatever was in that coolant gas, it destroyed all the Sakutia virus in Garfield's body."

Raven's eyes grew wide. "So … it's permanent?"

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry B, but there's nothing we can do."

For the first time in the meeting, Garfield looked up from the table.

"Can't you just inject some more Sakutia in me?"

Cyborg shook his head. "With the virus gone the serum your folks gave you broke down, and I don't know how to make more. If I injected Sakutia into you, you'd be dead within 24 hours. I'm sorry man; I wish I could tell you something else."

"So, I'll never be Beast Boy again."

"I'm afraid so."

Garfield dropped his head.

"I know you did your best, Cy. Thanks for trying."

Garfield rose to his feet. "I'll be in my room."

He walked out the infirmary. Raven, who was also in a state of shock, hesitated. Starfire nudged her, and he sorceress followed her boyfriend out the room. They walked back to their room in silence. Raven palmed the door open and they entered together. As soon as she closed the door he fell onto his knees and began to weep. Raven wrapped her arms around him and also cried.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _Later that evening …_

Robin, Starfire and Cyborg sat down to a simple pizza dinner. Raven and Garfield were conspicuous by their absence.

"I don't think they'll be joining us tonight." Robin remarked offhandedly. He picked up the box with the vegetarian pizza that Raven and Gar would normally share. "Star, would you mind taking this to their room?"

Starfire nodded and was soon on her way. As soon as she was gone, Robin looked at Cyborg.

"So you're 100% sure we can't restore his powers?"

"I'm not even sure his parents could. It was a fluke, Rob. Even if I had the formula for the serum there's no guarantee I could bring back his powers. Heck, I couldn't even be sure I could keep the Sakutia from killing him."

Robin sighed unhappily. "I was afraid you'd say that because we have a problem."

"Problem? What problem?"

"Gar doesn't have powers anymore."

"You never had any."

"True, but I am very athletically gifted. And before you ask, I can't train him to be like me. Gar isn't gifted; he's just an average guy, maybe even below average."

"So you aren't even going to give him a chance? Is that how you treat your friends? Do you have any idea of how devastated he'll be if you kick him off the team? And if you do that, Raven's gonna be really pissed."

Robin glared at the Tin Man. "Of course I'm going to give him a chance. And I'll never kick him off the team. I don't have to. He'll quit on his own."

"And when he leaves, Raven will leave with him."

"Yes, I know." Robin grumbled. "I'm open to suggestions, if you have any."

"I don't know … find him a new job? Didn't Bats give Batgirl a desk job when she became disabled?"

"You know I don't like to talk about Babs."

"So you're blaming yourself? Look, gel hair, it wasn't your fault Babs got shot and it isn't your fault BB lost his powers."

Robin sighed. "Bad things happen to people who are close to me."

"Then make good things happen."

 _ **-( - )-**_

At Raven's insistence he went to have breakfast with the others the next morning. Raven volunteered to cook his breakfast. They were greeted politely by their teammates and they could tell something was afoot. As he sat down Robin handed him a folder.

"What's this?"

"It's a training plan I put together for you."

"A training plan?"

"Listen, Garfield; just because you lost your powers doesn't mean you can't be a superhero."

Garfield opened the folder. The front page had a training timeline. It was three years long. He closed the folder and dropped it on the table.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Robin; but let's get real here. I'm an unathletic klutz. I could train for a hundred years and not be good enough to be a Titan."

"Gar, I think you should give this a chance." Raven announced as she placed his plate before him.

"C'mon Rave; I can't even beat you when we do 'no powers' sparring days."

"Because you're lazy and don't train like you should. And you didn't have to when you had your powers. I know you can do it."

He reopened the folder and stared at the timeline. "Three years is a long time"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you're ready to quit being a Titan." She replied.

"I don't want to quit; but … I don't know if I can do this. I've seen a lot of guys try be like Robin, guys who were really athletic, who crashed and burned."

"There's more to being a non-superpowered hero than being athletically gifted." Cyborg interjected. "C'mon B, I know you can do it."

"Don't call me that, Beast Boy is dead. Now I'm just plain old Garfield Logan. I'll never be an animal again. I don't think that you guys understand what I'm going through. I'm not me anymore. I woke up one morning and found out I was someone else. A nobody."

"You aren't a nobody. You're my boyfriend. I was going to ask you to marry me and I still intend on doing that. I know how much your powers meant to you. I'm an empath, I could feel the joy you felt every time you morphed. But just because you've lost them doesn't mean that somehow you're less of a man than you used to be."

"I know you're right, but I still feel that way."

Robin placed a hand on his shoulder. "Garfield, please give it a try. We don't want you to leave … I don't want you to leave."

Garfield looked at the folder. "OK, I will."

"Excellent! We can start tomorrow at 5AM!"

Raven gave him a red eyed glare.

"Uh, how about you and Raven take a week off …"

She continued to glare.

"make that two weeks off and go away someplace nice and relaxing, and spend some quality time together? Then when you get back, you'll be ready for training."

"I think that would be a great idea." Raven replied.

 _ **-( - )-**_

I was going to make this a oneshot, but I think it will be a short story.

Now, don't discourage me with a lack of reviews. This story could be the turning point in having me come back.


	2. Tim Drake and Barbara Gordon

This chapter is dedicated to Yvonne Craig, the first live action Batgirl, who passed away yesterday

TheForce

 _ **-( - )-**_

Raven was seated at the kitchen table, poring over brochures and pamphlets. Some were for tropical beach destinations like Cancun or Fiji. Raven knew that those destinations never appealed to Garfield and to honest spending time at some beach resort overrun with topless European women wasn't exactly her idea of a good time either, and she dropped those pamphlets into a dustbin. The next group was for Florida based theme parks. Those too found their way into the trash. She had tried to book a river cruise on the Danube, but to her dismay they had been sold out months before. As she tossed the last of the brochures into the trash, Starfire entered the common room. The princess immediately noticed the overflowing dustbin.

"You are not having the luck?"

"You could say that."

Starfire looked around the room. "Where is Garfield?"

"He's taking a nap."

"Some things have not changed, have they?"

A small smile appeared on Raven's face. "Thank Azar for small favors; but I still don't know where to take him."

Starfire sat down at the table. "Have you done the considering of Robin's idea?"

Raven leaned back and an unhappy sigh escaped her gray lips.

"At first I didn't like the idea. But the more I think of it, the more it makes sense … unless it totally backfires."

"You are the worried?"

"That goes without saying. Of course I'm worried about Gar. For the past few nights he's been tossing and turning in his sleep. And he has no interest whatsoever in physical intimacy …"

"But that is not what is truly worrying you."

Raven winced before answering. "No, it's not."

"Tell me, friend. Share your burden with me."

"It's selfish."

"I do not understand. How can a burden be the selfish?"

"It's pathetic of me. I should be worried about his welfare, and I am. But I'm also very worried about something else."

The princess took Raven's hand and gently squeezed it. "You are afraid of losing him?"

Raven nodded as a tear dripped down her face. "Like I said, it's selfish."

Starfire shook her head. "No, it is not. He is your beloved and he is hurting. You feel powerless to help him and worry that he will never be himself again."

Raven stifled a sob. "He isn't himself. How could he be? He's been Beast Boy since he was a small child. He can barely remember not being able to morph and now he's lost that forever. I'm so scared, Starfire."

"You are afraid that there will not be a place for you in his life anymore?"

"Yes!" Her voice warbled. "Starfire, you have to understand, I'm not like you. I'm not lovable."

"You are wrong."

"I'm half demon, I'm right and you know it." She wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "I always thought that I would be alone and for good reason. I'm bitchy, arrogant and prone to anger. I have to constantly meditate just to hold everything together and not turn into a monster like my father."

"Raven, you are selling yourself short. You have many qualities."

"If you mean I'm physically attractive, yes, I know. But all the men I dated before we became a couple only wanted me to spread my legs for them. All they saw in me was a roll in the hay. And those were the brave ones who could get past my demonic nature. Most of them, once they learned what I am, just ran away. They decided I wasn't even good enough to f…"

Starfire covered Raven's mouth with her hand.

"Raven, do not say such things."

Raven removed the princess's hand. "Can't you see, Star? He's the only man who's ever loved me for who I am. Who would have thought back when we started the team that I would fall in love with him?"

Starfire smiled. "You are the 'good catch' and he is wise enough to know that. He is having the personal crisis, but you are there for him. He is not acknowledging that now, but when he is done mourning his loss he will remember that you are his beloved. He will not abandon you. He will marry you and you will be the mother of his bumgorphs."

Raven gasped. "Oh Azar, he is going to want cubs; I never even thought about that."

"Cubs?"

A small chuckle escaped Raven's lips. "That's what he calls children … cubs. But he isn't Beast Boy anymore, so I guess that I should stop using that word."

Starfire smiled. "You will have beautiful cubs. And I will be the mother of God to them."

Raven guffawed. "You mean Godmother, the Mother of God; that's someone else. Oh Azar, Gar is Catholic, he's going to want the kids baptized."

"I do not understand. What is this baptizing you speak of?"

"It's a Christian Sacrament. Starfire, our kids will be one quarter demon; I'm not sure if it will be even possible to baptize them."

"I still do not understand. If you and Garfield love each other and have bumgorphs, why would their heritage matter? Are you not a good person?"

Raven squeezed Starfire's hand. "Maybe you're right. And thanks, Starfire, thanks for being my friend."

Starfire smiled "You are sharing his crisis. You are suffering with him. It is proof that you are the heartmates."

Raven sighed. "I still don't know where to take him. Maybe Robin is right."

"So you will take him there?"

"I guess so. I can't think of any other place."

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _Three days later …_

The jumbo jet, after flying for nearly five hours across the continent, banked to the left. As it leveled off a voice was heard over the PA system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I've turned the fasten seat belts sign back on. We've begun our descent and should be touching down at Gotham International Airport in ten minutes. Your Jump City based crew would like to thank you for choosing Trans National Airlines and we hope to see you again soon on another flight."

A young couple was seated in the first class section. He was blond and of below average stature. His traveling companion was even shorter. She was a brunette with intense hazel colored eyes and in addition to the Chakra stone on her forehead she wore two bulky rings, one on each hand.

He looked out the window at Gotham's skyline. The place looked flat out depressing. But he wasn't there for sightseeing, he was there to meet two people, people that Robin and Raven hoped would help him see things in a different light. Raven had her doubts, but she had no other options. She became lost in thought, pondering all the potential outcomes to this visit when her concentration was interrupted by the bump of the jet landing and the whine of its engines thrusting in reverse as they, along with airplane's brakes, slowed the aluminum behemoth.

 _ **-( - )-**_

As they waited for their luggage at baggage claim, they were approached by a tall, thin man with a mustache.

"Miss Roth and Master Logan, I presume?"

"And you must be Alfred Pennyworth."

"At your service. As soon as we collect your luggage I will take you to Wayne Manor."

 _ **-( - )-**_

The black Rolls Royce pulled into the Manor garage where a teenager with dark hair was waiting for them. He opened the car door and extended his hand to the still disguised Raven, gallantly helping her out of the car.

"Raven, Garfield; welcome to Wayne Manor. Bruce is out of town, but you didn't come here to see him."

Raven gave him one of her tiny smiles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tim Drake."

"Come inside, and you can shed your disguise, Raven. Since Alfred picked you up, I already made us some lunch."

"A tragic turn of events, as Master Tim cannot boil water without burning it." Alfred deadpanned as he removed their luggage from the car. "I have prepared two guest rooms in the West Wing for you." Alfred announced as he disappeared into the house.

"Separate rooms?" Garfield asked.

Tim chuckled. "Alfie is as old fashioned as they come, don't worry though. He isn't unrealistic. The two rooms are connected via a door. And the walls are as thick and dense as Fort Knox; you can be as loud as you want, no one will hear you." He added with a wink. "So when are you two lovebirds getting married?"

Raven was about to reply that they weren't engaged, but Garfield answered first. "We haven't set a date yet." Raven suppressed any external manifestation of surprise.

"Cool! Don't forget to send me an invitation." He interjected as they entered the kitchen. He approached the stove and removed the lid from a large pot. The smell of Marinara sauce permeated the air.

"Ta da! Spaghetti and meatballs a la Drake!"

"We're both vegetarians." Raven deadpanned as she slammed her holorings together, revealing her gray and violet self.

"You're what?" Tim shrieked as he slammed the lid shut on the spaghetti pot. "Crap! I mean, sorry … Uh, how about I order some pizza?"

"I will prepare a proper vegetarian meal for our guests." Alfred, who appeared out of nowhere, interrupted. "And while I do that, you can show them the Batcave."

 _ **-( - )-**_

"Dude! The Batmobile is way cooler than the T-Car!" Garfield exclaimed as he sat behind the wheel. He turned to his girlfriend, who was standing outside the car with Tim. "Uh, Rave; don't tell Chrome Dome I said that."

As Garfield egressed from the famous car, Alfred showed up pushing a tea cart with their dinner on it, he quickly set a table with linens, fine china and silverware and served up the eggplant parmesan he had prepared and filled the goblets with sparkling Italian mineral water.

"Dinner is served … and now that Master Tim's tour has concluded, I believe that you have more serious matters to discuss."

Alfred left the Batcave as the three super heroes sat down to eat. Garfield inhaled deeply and a smile appeared on his face. "This has to be the best eggplant parmesan in the history of parmesan."

"It's more than obvious that Alfred is a superb chef." Raven remarked. "But he's right; it's time to discuss more serious matters."

"So, dude; how did Bats pick you to be the next Robin?"

"He didn't." Tim replied. "I did"

"Say what?"

"I figured out that Bruce Wayne was Batman and I approached him and demanded that he train me to be the next Robin."

Raven arched an eyebrow. "You demanded to be the next Robin?"

"OK, maybe it was more of a strong request. Bruce was impressed that I figured out that he's the Bat, but he had some reservations."

"Your relative lack of athletic ability?" Raven interjected.

"Yeah, that. Compared to Dick; your Robin, and to the late Jason Todd … well, they're out of my league. I'll never be as acrobatic or athletic as they are. I'm more of a bookworm than a jock. Sure, I played some Junior Varsity football at school, but I never made varsity."

"But Bruce gave you a chance." She added.

"Yeah, he did. He said that there's more to being Robin than kicking butt. Do you know what Ra's Al Ghul calls Bruce? He calls him "The Detective". Bruce says that I'm a much better detective than Dick or Jason ever were. So two years ago he began to train me.

"Dude, you've been training for two years, and you still aren't wearing the traffic light suit?"

Tim snickered. "That ugly thing is Dick's costume. Mine will be all red with black cape. I'll be putting it on next week and going out on my first patrol with Bruce."

"Congratulations, you have no doubt worked hard at this." Raven deadpanned.

"I have … Garfield … I know that you're at a crossroads in your life."

"You could say that."

"I'm not gonna patronize you and say losing your powers isn't a big deal. What I will say is that you are a super hero, you just need to find a new outlet."

"I know … I'm just … I feel overwhelmed."

"Gar, I've seen video footage of you in combat. I think you're a natural. Just don't compare yourself to Dick, I mean; no one is as good as he is. But you have gifts he doesn't have."

"I do?"

"Have you lost your animal instincts?"

Gar looked pensive. "Now that you mention it, I still have those."

"I wish I had them … Gar … that is a huge advantage for you."

"So you think I should train?"

"You bet I do. And if Dick gets too anal retentive with you, just call me and I'll come kick his ass."

"You just said he's a better fighter than you."

"I'll bring Alfie with me. He's always been able to glare Dick into submission."

Garfield laughed. "I'd love to see that. OK, I'm feeling better about this."

"Great! Now let's eat before it gets cold. And after dinner I have someone I'd like you to meet."

 _ **-( - )-**_

It was Garfield's first trip to Gotham. Tim was driving them through the lower downtown district, which was a mix of derelict and gentrified neighborhoods, both containing old, brownstone apartment buildings. Tim pulled up to a particularly tall one, about 15 floors tall, that was in a "no man's land" between the good and bad neighborhoods. The building looked dark and unoccupied, except for the penthouse at the top, whose shrouded windows allowed a minute amount of electrically generated light to escape.

Tim pulled a clicker out of the car's glove box and upon pressing its large button a corrugated steel door rolled up. He drove the car into the now open garage, which was large but only contained two other vehicles, both were full sized vans with wheelchair lifts built into them and handicapped license plates. He parked next to them.

"Follow me, and don't stray. This building is heavily booby trapped."

He pulled a card key from his pocket and used it to summon the elevator. Within a few moments its door opened and the trio boarded the car, which whisked them to the penthouse.

When the elevator's doors opened, they were greeted by the sight of what looked like a server farm. There were racks and racks of Linux servers, routers, storage systems and terminals. Tim led them past the data center and though a self opening door. They walked through it and both Raven and Garfield gasped in amazement.

There were at least one hundred flat screens, lined up in a curved wall. Some had a GUI interface on them, others had command line interfaces. There countless video feeds as well. In the center of it all was a large curved desk with multiple keyboards and data switches. And seated at the desk, in a wheelchair, wearing a telephone headset was a young red headed woman, who spun around on her wheel chair to greet her guests.

"Garfield, Raven it's nice to meet you. My name is Barbara Gordon."

"You're Batgirl!" Garfield shouted.

"I was Batgirl, Cassandra Cain is Batgirl now."

"No way! That psycho might be wearing your cowl, but she'll never be Batgirl, you're the only Batgirl."

Barbara beamed at the former changeling. "Thanks, that means a lot to me." She replied as she extended her hand, which both Raven and the Garfield shook.

"I heard about your loss. I'm sorry about that, Garfield"

Gar froze. This woman, who was paralyzed from the waist down because the Joker shot her, was consoling him? He blinked several times before replying. "Miss Gordon, I … I don't know what to say."

Barbara continued to smile at him. She was a stunning woman. He didn't tell her, but when he was a teen he had a poster of her as Batgirl on his wall, and he "fantasized" about the shapely superhero more than once in the privacy of his bed. And here she was, broken and paralyzed; and instead of giving up she was now Oracle, the Batclan's intelligence officer.

"I think what Gar is trying to say is that he feels humbled in your presence." Raven interjected.

"Yeah … what she said." He gurgled.

Babs continued to smile. "Tim, there are some refreshments and snacks I prepared earlier in the kitchen, would you mind bringing them here?"

"No problem, Babs."

"Uh … I'll give you a hand." Gar volunteered as he ran after Tim.

Once they were out of earshot, Babs turned to Raven. "He must be devastated, having lost his powers."

"He is … we are making some progress, but it has been slow. I'm sorry, Miss Gordon …"

"Just call me Babs"

"Babs … bringing Gar to meet you feels … uncalled for."

"Don't feel that way. If it helps for him to see me in my wheelchair, if it helps him understand that it could be worse, far worse; then I don't mind at all." Babs suddenly grinned "He is cute … you guys have been dating for what? A year now?"

"Yes, we have."

"Any long term plans?"

"I just told him the other day that I'm going to ask him to marry me."

"And he's still with you. That's a good sign."

"You really think so?"

"I do. Raven; don't let him get away. I procrastinated and … well things didn't turn out so well for me."

Raven sighed. "Babs, I've … how can I say this … I've been in Robin's mind. I know … about the two of you."

"So you know that we were once lovers."

"Yes, I do. I also know that Dick invited you to join the Titans and that you hesitated."

"Raven, most people think that my greatest loss was when I lost the use of my legs, but that wasn't it. My biggest loss was when I lost Dick. After I was shot I told him to forget about me."

Raven looked stunned. "Why did you do that?"

Babs sighed. "I have no feeling below my waist. I can't even control my bowel movements, I have to wear a diaper. But you know what that really means, right?"

Raven nodded solemnly. "No intercourse" She replied in a whisper.

Babs sniffled. "How could I ever be his mate if I can't make love with him?"

"That was very brave and selfless of you."

"Not really … to this day I can't bear to see him and Starfire together. If only I had accepted his offer to be a Titan right away …"

Raven sat down on a nearby chair.

"I blame myself for Gar's loss."

"You do? But why?"

"I got cocky with Dr. Light and he knocked me down. Had that not happened Gar would never have been sprayed with that gas and he would still have his powers."

"Don't blame yourself, Raven. These things just happen. If anyone should know, it's me."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Tim and Garfield were unwrapping some deli made sandwiches Babs had ordered earlier for them and were stacking them on a tray. Tim was grinning like an idiot.

"What?" Garfield asked.

"You gotta tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"How you scored such a smoking hot girlfriend, or should I say 'fiancé'?"

"We aren't really engaged."

"You're not? But you said you haven't set a day yet."

"I … I haven't officially asked her yet. We've talked about it, but I haven't done the whole drop to a knee thing yet. But she did propose to me, well kind of."

Tim laughed. "I think you guys should pick a date."

Garfield sat down, with a sad look on his face. "How can we ... I'm not a superhero anymore."

"So what?"

"Dude, how am I supposed to protect her if I don't have any powers?"

Tim sat down next to him. "From what I've seen of Raven in video footage, she doesn't need anyone to protect her. But … that said … I understand what you're saying, you're her man and you know it's your job to protect her, even if she doesn't need protecting … look … after Dick trains you, you will be able to protect her."

"Dude … that's gonna take so long."

"Yeah, it will … Gar … I can tell just by looking at you two, you don't want to lose her."

"But what if I'm not good enough for her? What if, you know, she finds someone better, someone with powers …"

"She'd never do that, and you know it. Listen to me, from one dude to another: If I had a girl as awesome as her, I'd be in seventh heaven. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and start training. You do want to be at her side when she's fighting bad guys, right?"

"More than anything."

"Then you know what you have to do." He shoved a tray into Garfield's hands. "Let's go, they're probably wondering why we're taking so long."


	3. The Doctor

Uh oh! Reviews are down. Hopefully you like this chapter better.

Also, I will be gone for two weeks starting late next week. I'll try to publish one more chapter before I go on my trip to England, but no promises. I definitely won't be updating during my trip, so don't be surprised if the next update isn't until mid September.

And now, back to the story!

 _ **-( - )-**_

A roaring fire crackled in the fireplace as Raven climbed into the enormous canopy bed while Garfield brushed his teeth in the room's private bath. The sorceress stared at the dancing flames, mesmerized by how much they resembled the fire demons her father once sent to capture her.

There was of course only one demon in the room, and she was only a half breed. Still, not a day went by where Raven wasn't painfully aware that she wasn't like other women. Normal women did not have natural violet hair or grey skin. They also didn't have a demonic monster name "Rage" living inside them either and didn't need to meditate for hours to keep it under control.

Raven turned to the bathroom, and through the open door she watched the man that she loved as he prepared for the night. He was only wearing a pair of boxers with a dinosaur pattern on it, but that's not what she noticed.

Barbara Gordon described Garfield earlier that evening as "cute" and as Raven continued to watch him it sunk in: Garfield had grown into a handsome man. But now, he was not only handsome, he was now "normal". He didn't have pointy ears or fangs anymore. He no longer smelled like a wet dog. He now looked like a healthy young man of 21 years of age, the kind of guy you would see on a college campus. And this meant one thing:

He could now do better than a bipolar demoness/human hybrid.

A lot better.

One thing Garfield told her that the others on the team did not know was that Mento and Elastigirl were his adoptive parents. Another secret only she knew was that their alter egos were Steve Dayton and Rita Farr, one of the wealthiest couples in the world. They were in the same league as Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen, meaning they had more money than they could ever use or need. And Garfield was their only heir. The blond man in the bathroom was now one of the most eligible and desirable bachelors in the whole world.

This of course meant that the tabloids would eventually have a field day at her expense, mocking her as unworthy of the future billionaire. Of course, she didn't really care what the tabloids wrote. What she did care about was what Garfield thought. Raven was pleased with the course of events of the day. Meeting Tim and Babs did wonders in helping him come to terms with his new lot in life, and that made Raven happy. But that didn't change the fact that a great deal had changed in both his and their lives. And there were so many unknowns. What if Garfield failed to transition into a non-powered superhero? Just because Tim was able to do it was no guarantee that Garfield would be able to do the same.

There was a common wisdom in the super hero community, and that was superheroes could not couple with non heroes, because it simply didn't work. Sure, there were exceptions, like Superman and Lois Lane or the Flash and his wife Iris. Of course Supes was constantly having to save the headstrong Lois from his enemies. Others, like Hal Jordan, tried; but eventually he, the Earth's first Green Lantern, had to end his relationship with Carol Ferris, as it proved to be too impractical.

Raven closed her eyes and pondered what if Garfield came to the conclusion that they were now an unequal couple? Would he end their relationship? Or there was an even worse scenario: what if her enemies used Garfield as a weapon against her? She could find herself having to break up with Garfield, just to protect him.

As Raven pondered these issues her train of thought was interrupted by the bed moving. She opened her eyes and saw his smiling face in front of hers.

"Hi" She greeted him.

He placed his hand behind her head and gently pulled her into a tender kiss. She reciprocated and they continued to smooch, with each kiss becoming more passionate. He stopped and reached for her nightgown, gently pulling it over her head, exposing her magnificently formed chest..

"I'm back, baby." He whispered in her ear.

Raven remembered Tim's words, that they could be as loud as they wanted. That was about to be put to the test as they discarded any remaining garments they were wearing.

"I'm going to rock your world." She whispered in his ear.

As they continued with their foreplay and were getting ready for the next step, they were interrupted by a loud series of beeps.

"Damn, I forgot to put it into silent mode." He apologized.

"Put what into silent mode?"

Gar reached over to his nightstand. "My Doom Patrol communicator."

The square radio continued to beep. The magic was gone.

"You might as well answer it, it could be important." She sighed.

"Sorry, Rave; I don't even know why I turned it on." He apologized as he flipped it open. Mento's face appeared on the tiny screen. The man looked clearly surprised.

"Garfield?" Mento was so surprised at what he saw, that he didn't notice that his adoptive son was in bed with Raven. "So … it's true?"

Gar nodded. "Yeah … it is … I lost my powers … I'm not Beast Boy anymore."

Elastigirl pushed her way onto the screen.

"Garfield, are you OK? Are you hurt?"

He shook his head "I'm fine, really. The Sakutia virus is gone … I'm normal now, just an ordinary guy."

Rita glanced at the clearly nude Raven, who covered herself up with the bed sheet. "I can see that you're fine, in more ways than one."

"Garfield, your communicator says you're at Wayne Manor. Are you visiting Batman?" Mento asked.

"No, we came to see someone else. We're going back to Jump tomorrow."

"Negative. You're coming to Dayton Estate. I'm sending a helicopter for you; it'll be there in an hour. Get dressed, we want you here ASAP."

"What about me?" Raven interjected.

"You're welcome to come, Raven. We have much to discuss with you as well." Elastigirl replied. "So hurry up, Cliff is already on his way. Doom Patrol out."

The small screen went blank and Garfield flipped the communicator shut.

"Well, that's a mood killer." Raven grumbled. "Nothing like having your boyfriend's parents interrupt a good romp."

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"How? I can't even contemplate … doing it … under their roof." She droned in her monotone. "That just feels wrong on so many levels."

"How about something way better than that?" He asked, with a small smile on his face.

She gave him a puzzled look. "What are you saying? Something better than sex?"

He gave her a tender kiss. "Yeah, much better. It's time we make it official."

She gasped "Official?"

He nodded. "I don't have a ring." He smiled sheepishly. "Raven … when we get there, I want to tell them that we're engaged."

Raven became wide eyed. "Gar … engaged? You're serious? I know we've talked about this … but … are you really willing to hitch your wagon to a half demon?"

He smiled bashfully. "I am. But I guess I should do it right."

Still buck naked, he dropped onto his right knee. "Raven, will you marry me?"

Raven broke into a huge smile and wrapped her arms around him. "You're out of your mind … but yes, I will!"

They celebrated their betrothal by resuming their earlier make our session … and lost all track of time (and I won't tell you what they did, but you can guess); until they heard the sound of a helicopter landing in front of the Manor. Needless to say, their superhero training came in handy as they were able to get dressed in a matter of seconds and were soon on board the helicopter, heading back to the Hamptons, where the Dayton Estate was located.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The sleek silver turbocopter, with the Doom Patrol's logo on its side, sped away from Wayne Manor. Tim and Alfred waved goodbye as the chopper headed out to sea, heading along the cost to Long Island. Robotman was at the controls.

"It's good to see you kids again, it's been too long, Gar."

"Yeah, it has … I was still Beast Boy last time."

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. How are you holding up, kid?"

"It's been hard, really hard."

"Well, for what it's worth, I wouldn't mind getting my old body back."

"That's the thing, Cliff, for me this isn't my old body. I became Beast Boy when I was a toddler, I can't even remember clearly before that happened, when that monkey bit me, that's when my life began, and now … it feels like it's over." He whispered unhappily. Raven squeezed his hand.

"I guess you are going through a pretty rough patch."

He squeezed Raven's hand back.

"I have Raven … she's been my rock through all this."

Cliff turned to glance at Raven. "Yeah, it helps to have a quality dame."

Robotman slowed the chopper as they were now approaching a helipad on top of an enormous mansion. "Welcome to the Dayton Estate, Raven."

She looked out the chopper's front window and saw Steve and Rita waiting by the helipad. She gulped, wondering how they were going to take the news that their son, who had permanently lost his powers was going to marry a monster. She then saw an unfamiliar figure, who was wheelchair bound, approach the helipad.

As soon as the copter's door opened Rita ran to greet her son. They exchanged a hug and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Look at you, Garfield … I still can't believe it."

"Believe it, Cyborg says it's permanent."

Mento and the stranger in the wheelchair approached.

"I'll be the judge of that." The wheelchair bound man interjected.

"Dr. Caulder! Do you really think you can undo what happened?" Gar greeted him.

"I'm certain that I can. No offense to Cyborg, but he's an Engineer, not a Doctor."

Raven cleared her throat. "I don't believe we've met before."

"Dr. Niles Caulder, at your service, young lady."

"Dr. Caulder is the founder of the Doom Patrol." Mento interjected.

"That is until Mento took over, now I'm just a consultant. And the team doctor." He spun his electric wheelchair around. "Let's go to the lab, we have work to do."

As the group followed Caulder into the Mansion Raven saw a glimmer of hope in Garfield's eyes. She felt it too, a hope against all hope that his powers could be restored. But she also knew that Cyborg was more competent than Caulder gave him credit; which mean that disappointment was probably waiting for them.

She just hoped he would be able to handle it.

 _ **-( - )-**_

"Gee, Doc; how about leaving some blood for me?"

Caulder gave Gar a mild glare. "You've always hated needles."

"If they can restore my powers, then I'm good."

The doctor removed the needle from the blond man's arm. "I have enough to get started."

"To get started?" Raven asked.

"Yes, to get started. This isn't going to be one of Cyborg's shoot from the hip remedies; this may take some time and I will probably need more blood samples later." He replied as he bandaged Gar's arm, who winced upon hearing the words. "You're free to go, Logan; I think your parents are eager to talk with you … and your unusual, but lovely young lady."

Mento and Rita led Gar and Raven back into the main wing in the mansion; with their final destination being the dining room. Rita picked up a bronze colored bell and rang it. Within moments a uniformed maid entered the room.

"We're ready for the luncheon, Consuelo."

The maid nodded and left the room. Steve gestured to have a seat. The dining room table was huge; it could easily seat 60 people. There were four settings, set with fine china, crystal ware and platinum cutlery. Raven saw that there were also seating cards and she sat down at the one reserved for her. Gar gallantly pulled her chair for her, which did not go unnoticed by his parents. As soon as they were seated the maid returned, and placed four bowls of tomato bisque soup before them, and filled their goblets with mineral water.

"We just returned from a mission." Steve announce before taking his first sip of soup.

"Brotherhood of Evil?" Raven asked.

"Isn't it always? Gar added.

"Yes, it was." Rita replied. "We destroyed their base, but they got away. We came home to regroup and that's when we saw your news."

"Have you given any thought as to your next steps?" Mento asked.

"Robin is going to train me to be a non powered super hero; if I can't recover my powers."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that you haven't thrown in the towel. It's going to be hard work, but I know you can do it Garfield." Mento added.

"I'm so proud of you, Garfield. This is great news." Rita added.

Raven subtly cleared her throat. "We have some other news."

Rita raised an eyebrow "You do? I hope it's good news."

Raven look at her beau. The expression on her face said " _They're your parents, you tell them_."

"Yeah, about that … Rave and I, we … uh … we're engaged."

Steve and Rita stared at him as if he had just grown a second head. Rita broke the silence that ensued.

"That's very nice, but aren't you both a bit young still?"

"We are in our early twenties. We aren't teenagers anymore. It's also better to have children when you're young. As you know very well, in our line of business things happen, incidents that can leave one sterile."

The remark hit home with Rita, who became sterile when she suffered the freak accident that turned her into Elastigirl. While Raven couldn't see Rita balling her fists under the table, she could sense her anger at the remark.

"Rita is right, this seems very sudden. You've only been dating for a year. Marriage is a big step, Raven. You know that we raised Gar in our faith and …"

"Yes, I know that Gar is Catholic and that he believes that marriage is for life, he doesn't believe in divorce. Also for the record, while I am not Catholic I also believe in the lifelong permanence of marriage."

"That didn't stop you from having pre-marital sex with him, did it?" Rita grilled her.

"Now wait a minute!" Gar bellowed, "That's none of your business."

"You're our son; it most definitely is our business." Mento quipped.

Raven sighed. "Yes, we are sleeping together. But if it will make you feel any better we are monogamous and have never had any other partners … also …"

Raven paused. "I'm willing to marry in the Church, first of all because it's important to Gar, and secondly because it's important to you."

"And the children?" Rita asked.

"We will raise them Catholic."

"They'll be one quarter demon."

"I was under the impression that God loves everyone, and our children will be three quarters human. They will be sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, as C.S. Lewis would say. I will even attend Mass with the family."

Mento nodded. "OK, that makes me feel better."

"But there is another issue." Rita interjected.

"Our inequality." Raven interrupted. "We are confident that Gar will make the transition to non powered superhero."

"But what if he fails?"

"Rave and I will work it out."

"You mean you'll be OK working a cushy job at Dayton Industries while your wife risks life and limb fighting super-villains?"

"If it comes to that, I'm willing to retire and live a normal civilian life … well … as normal as possible for two ex superheroes, especially for one who looks like me."

Steve and Rita looked at each other.

"Excuse us for a minute." Rita announced as they walked out of the dining room. Gar took his fiancé's hand.

"You'd really do that? You give up being a Titan?"

"In a heartbeat … I'd give up anything for you."

They leaned into each other and shared a series of tender kisses. As they continued to smooch, Steve and Rita returned. They stopped and turned to face his parents.

"Well?" Gar snapped at them.

The Daytons smiled.

"Welcome to the family." Rita announced as she spread her arms, inviting Raven into a hug.

Hugging still wasn't Raven's thing, but she knew better than to reject the offer and she embraced her mother-in-law to be. She then hugged Mento just as Consuelo arrived with the salad course. They resumed their places at the table and resumed eating their meal. Gar reached under the table and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. Everything seemed to be so perfect.

What could possibly go wrong?


	4. She can drive

_A few days later back in Jump City …_

A non descript full sized domestic sedan pulled up to the arrivals curb at Jump City International Airport, stopping in front of a young couple. The trunk popped open and they loaded their luggage before boarding the car's back seat. The driver was a tall woman with blond hair.

"Welcome home, friends."

"Thanks for picking us up, Star … uh … when did you learn to drive a car?" Garfield asked his disguised friend.

"Robin taught me while you were gone."

"You mean you just got your driver's license?" Raven, who was also disguised, asked.

"Yes, I passed the test yesterday. It is quite simple to operate one of your four wheeled internal combustion driven vehicles, much easier say than piloting a Tamaranian Space Caravelle."

As soon as she replied the car peeled away from the curb, accelerating at maximum speed, which sent her passengers tumbling in the back seat. The Tamaranian began to swerve through traffic, cutting off other drivers, who angrily honked their horns at her while she smiled.

"As you can see, I am very skilled at the driving. Cyborg was busy repairing the Tower's mainframe so Robin suggested that I pick you up at the airport. We will be home soon."

Raven turned to her betrothed and through clenched teeth she growled "And once we get there, I'm gonna kill him."

"Uh, Star … are you sure you passed the test?" Garfield squeaked as he held on for dear life. "Where did you take the test?"

"I took it at the Tower."

"At the Tower? There are no roads at the Tower and there isn't a DMV office there either. Who tested you?"

Robin was my tester and I took the test in a simulator that Cyborg provided."

"Let me guess. This is the first time you've actually driven a real car?" Raven asked in an uncharacteristically, for her, nervous tone."

Starfire swerved the car to avoid a collision. "Is it obvious? Cyborg said that the simulator was very accurate."

Starfire continued to weave through traffic with wild abandon, giggling as she drove.

"I haven't seen this simulator anywhere." Raven continued. "Does it have a name?"

"Cyborg calls it the GTA-V"

"GRAND THEFT AUTO FIVE!?" Garfield screeched. "We're doomed!"

"You mean to tell me that Robin trained you with a GameStation game?" Raven hissed between clenched teeth as Starfire narrowly avoided another accident.

"That is correct. At first I had many of the collisions, but once I got the hanging of it, I was able to complete the test without crashing, not even when the simulated police would chase me."

By this point Starfire pulled into the access tunnel and within moments she parked the car, without a single scratch, in the Tower's underground garage. After turning off the engine she turned to face her friends with a huge grin on her face.

"My driving, it is glorious, right?"

Raven exhaled deeply. "We made it home in one piece, so I guess that qualifies as glorious".

 _ **-( - )-**_

"I thought we were goners" Gar remarked as soon as the door to their shared room slid shut.

"She is a terror behind the wheel. And I thought I was the scary Titan." Raven replied with a sigh as she began to unpack her suitcase. "For a while there I thought our betrothal was going to end with a crash."

"Speaking of that, when do we share the news with the rest of the gang?"

"Dinner is in an hour, that should be a good time."

"I'm surprised that Star didn't notice the rock on your finger." Gar replied with a wink.

Raven raised her hand, admiring the giant diamond ring on her finger. "What amazes me is that your parents not only accepted me, your mother even gave me _her_ engagement ring!"

"That's because you are amazing, in every possible way." He praised her with a smile. "How could they not be crazy about you?"

"They had to think about it, remember? Besides, you're the amazing one." She corrected him. "And don't say that you lost your powers, powers don't make you amazing."

The changeling didn't believe that statement, not for a nano-second. Every breath he took was a reminder that he was now an ordinary guy without powers. Even if Grayson could train him into a butt kicking Robin clone, he would give up anything, other than Raven, to recover his powers.

Dr. Caulder worked for days on solving that problem, taking countless blood samples from young Logan and spent days and nights in reclusion in the huge lab that was located in the mansion's basement. When he finally emerged, the expression on his face told what he was about to say: That he couldn't help Garfield. The ex-changeling recalled the Dr's words.

"I tried to reproduce the serum your biological parents created, but I can't. Every time I tested it the Sakutia virus would defeat it. The problem is that the virus in the wild has mutated since it infected you. I started working with your parents' original formula, trying to get it to work with the new virus strains, but I just couldn't get it to work."

Garfield recalled how he dropped his head when he heard the news.

"Will you continue trying?" Raven asked.

Caulder spun his wheelchair around to face the sorceress. "I believe that it is pointless and far too risky. Even if I can create a serum that works it remains a dangerous procedure. I would have to infect Logan with the new strain of the virus then apply the serum. While it might work in a Petri dish, there is no guarantee it will work in his body, in which case the virus would kill him."

Gar raised his head. "What if we could reproduce both the original virus and the serum?"

"Still risky, Logan. You were a child when it was applied, you're a young man now, your body chemistry has changed, not to mention your exposure to the chemicals that neutralized the serum and virus in the first place. There's no way to predict how your body would react to them today.

"I understand, doc. But would you say that it would be the best way to recover my powers?"

"Yes, it would be the best way, but it remains very dangerous. To be honest, Logan, it was almost a fluke that it worked the first time without killing you, but given that you were already infected your parents had nothing to lose with that desperate attempt to save you."

Back in the present, the flashback complete, he looked his fiancé in her deep indigo eyes.

"I still miss being Beast Boy."

She pulled him into a hug. "I understand, it was a big part of who you were. But you still are Garfield Logan, the man I'm going to marry … we all change, I know I did when I broke away from my father's control."

"That was a change for the best, Rave."

"Not entirely." She answered in a whisper. "As evil as he was, Trigon was my father and I had to destroy him. I never killed anyone before and haven't since that day. It is true that the final outcome was in the positive column, and that Trigon never saw me as anything more than a resource to use to achieve his goals. But, I still lost something; I lost a part of myself when I destroyed him. It doesn't matter that I did all the dimensions a favor and avenged the quadrillions of beings he murdered … I still lost my father … at my own hand."

Gar took her hand and kissed it. "I understand, babe, I do."

She raised her head and looked at him.

"You know I hate it when you call me 'babe'."

"Yeah, I know." He replied as he pulled her into a tender kiss just as the clock in the room chimed, indicating that dinner time had arrived.

 _ **-( - )-**_

They were the last to arrive at the dinner table, which was piled high with many different type of bbq ribs: Metropolis style, St. Louis style, Dallas style, North Carolina, Georgia and other styles Raven was unfamiliar with. There were pots of chili, both with and without meat and there was a bowl of tempeh doused in Metropolis bbq sauce.

Raven had become a vegetarian a few years before, despite the speech that she once made to the Changeling: "I respect that you don't eat meat, please respect that I don't eat fake meat". Of course Raven was now a devout vegetarian, meaning she had come full circle. Growing up in Azarath she was raised as a vegetarian, not that she knew she was, it was just what was set before her on the table.

It wasn't until she reached Earth that she tried meat for the first time: Cyborg's very own Metropolis style ribs. That day she heard Cyborg telling Beast Boy to try them, claiming they were better than sex. Being that was still a virgin at the time she had no point of reference to use for that comparison, not that she needed one as Cyborg's pork ribs melted in her mouth that day and she ceased to be a "meat virgin" as well as a vegetarian altogether, much to the chagrin of the then impish Beast Boy.

It wasn't until years later, as she began her romantic relationship with the green bean, that she decided to return to her vegetarian roots, in part because she was Azarathian but she also did it for him. She was also finally able to confirm that Cyborg's ribs, while scrumptious, were NOT better than sex, and she told Cyborg so. The tin man was insulted and his only remark was "he can't be that good."

Of course this was now two years later, and Cyborg had come to accept that Beast Boy had drawn Raven to the dark side. Of course, seeing his best bud now sporting normal coloration, he decided to take a stab at it.

"Hey, B!"

Gar looked up as he was serving Raven some vegetarian chili. "I'm not Beast Boy anymore, don't call me that."

"Sorry, dude, but calling you Gar or Logan or even just 'G' doesn't seem right, so I'm gonna call you B."

Gar shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever … so, wassup?"

"Uh … any chance you'd try my ribs now?"

"Nope." He tersely replied as he handed Raven her plate.

"Aw. C'mon, man! Why not?"

"Gar and I are both committed vegetarians, Cyborg. Losing his powers won't change that."

"You mean you're doing it for each other? C'mon, you guys aren't even married."

Garfield cracked a huge grin while a tiny smile appeared on Raven's face. Robin frowned and Cyborg opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Starfire who was the first to notice the engagement ring on the sorceress's finger.

"Glorious! Praised be X'hal!" She shouted. "You are betrothed!"

"You're be-what?" Cyborg asked.

"We are engaged, it's no big deal." Raven calmly replied as Starfire continued to freak out over the huge diamond ring she was wearing.

"No big deal!?" Cyborg waved his arms. "What do you mean no big deal? You guys are getting married. That's a big deal in my book!" He then calmed down and frowned. "Ah, man, this means you gonna be a vegetarian forever."

"At least until she divorces him." Robin joked, which earned him scary glares from both Raven and Starfire. "I was just joking. Can't you guys take a joke?"

"Not. Funny." Raven replied in her flattest deadpan.

Cyborg stepped in to quickly defuse the situation. "You guys aren't gonna believe this, but I baked my patented 9 layer cake with 30 different frostings on it today for no reason. I think it's party time! Booyah!"

He ran into the kitchen, followed by Starfire. When they emerged he was carrying a tall cake that was leaning like the Tower of Pisa while she carried a stack of cake plates, cake forks and a huge knife for cutting and serving the pastry.

Cyborg's concoction did not disappoint, and once that all had their fill Robin excused himself, promising to be right back, asking Star to accompany him. They returned with a Magnum of Champagne and some Champagne flutes. Robin popped the cork and filled the glasses, which Starfire distributed.

"You have Champagne in the Tower?" Raven asked.

"Alfred left it here, he told me to save it for a special occasion. If this isn't a special occasion, I don't know what is."

Starfire enthusiastically raised her glass. "To the betrothed!" She shouted.

"To Raven and Gar!" Robin added. "Cheers!"

Glasses clinked and their contents were consumed. As Robin refilled their glasses, Garfield exuded his happiness.

"Thanks, guys, this means the world to us."

"Gar is right; we are touched that you are so happy for us."

"Nothing could ruin this day, nothing." Gar added.

Robin handed Gar his refilled glass. "Well, now that you mention it … your new training starts tomorrow."

"It does … oh crud!"

Everyone present, including Garfield, laughed.

 _ **-( - )-**_

I'm back from my trip to the UK. Sorry for the short chapter, the next one will be longer.

And now I'm bringing back the mail bag. It's been long overdue.

Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer – Oh yes, there are evil twists up my sleeve.

Dragonkyng – There will be plenty of angst, otherwise I don't want to spill the beans.

Windows1 – The religious commitment could be tough, I've seen real world marriages fail because of this.

The Keeper of Worlds – I'll keep 'em coming.

Mr. Z – there will be surprises along the way

Johnny Beast – Now you know better than to ask that question

xxPinktypewriterxx – Yeah, that is kind of predictable, isn't it?

Hairul The Nightrage Beast - I think that self doubt can destroy marriages and relationships

titanfan45 – Had a great time in England. We went off the beaten path to places Americans usually don't visit. There were days we didn't hear another American accent all day. Also, we were often complimented on out "adorable American accents".

ThommyPickles _ I often make Steve and Rita hostile to Raven, so I decided to not go down that path this time.

JasonVUK – You aren't expecting smooth sailing in this story, are you?


	5. Left behind

_Buh-bump_

He looked at the odometer on the treadmill. He hadn't even covered 5 miles yet.

 _Buh-bump_

His heart was pounding like a jackhammer.

 _Buh-bump_

He was panting

 _Buh-bump_

This used to be so easy.

 _Buh-bump_

This was basic Titans training, the introductory settings. It didn't use to feel so steep or hard.

 _Buh-bump_

He used to be able to do 10 miles on this setting without breaking a sweat.

 _Buh-bump_

Now he was drenched in sweat.

 _Buh-bump_

Raven could do this without breaking a sweat.

 _Buh-bump_

He looked again at the display. It was just past the 5 mile mark.

 _Buh-bump_

He gritted his teeth. He would complete the 5 remaining miles even if he had a heart attack. And if it did, Raven was watching … she'd be able to reanimate him … he hoped.

 _Buh-bump, Buh-bump_

So what if his heart was about to explode?

 _Buh-bump, Buh-bump, Buh-bump, Buh-bump_

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's OK, Gar, you can stop." Robin told him in a soothing voice. Gar shook his head and picked up the pqce. The heart rate on the display read 180 bpm. Not good. The boy wonder nodded to Raven, who approached the treadmill as Robin stepped away. She was carrying a towel and a bottle of Gatorade. Gar finally gave up and stopped running, the treadmill followed suit. Raven saw the defeated look in his eyes.

"It's the first time you've done this since …"

"I turned into a loser."

"Since you lost your powers." She corrected him. "I don't need to remind you that you used to have superhuman endurance. You could have won the marathon in the Olympics."

"That won't be happening anytime soon."

"You need to be patient." She reminded him. He stepped off the treadmill; his fatigued legs were barely able to hold him up. Raven's first instinct was to grab his arm and wrap it around her shoulder. She knew that wouldn't do his bruised ego any good, so instead she twisted the cap off the bottle of Gatorade and handed it to him. He accepted it and proceeded to chug it down as Robin, with a clipboard in hand, came walking back.

"Not bad for a first time."

"I sucked and you know it."

"No, you didn't suck. To be honest, I didn't think you'd make it past three miles. You ran at a 7 mph pace. Not many people can do that."

"Not many people were Beast Boy … Rob, I could do this with one are tied behind my back."

"Yes, I know; but believe me, you will come close to having your old endurance back, you might even match it … but you have to be patient."

"Everyone keeps telling me that."

"Because it's true." Raven interjected. Robin nodded in agreement.

"Go ahead and clean up. Practice your katas afterwards, and we'll have a team martial arts session after dinner."

Raven handed him the towel and took his hand. He still wasn't used to not wearing gloves any more. It also didn't go unnoticed by him that Raven's hand was harder and more muscular than his.

He was going to have to be very patient.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _At the dinner table …_

It was quiet affair. Cyborg made a meatloaf as well as a tofu dish for Raven and Gar. As Cyborg placed the last platter of food on the table, Robin cleared his throat.

"Gar, have you considered eating meat?"

"No, I haven't."

"There are some benefits …"

"Thanks, but no."

"OK, I won't ask again. How are you feeling?"

"A little achy, but not too bad."

"Good. Tomorrow I want you to do 6 miles on the treadmill."

Raven served up their meal while Gar nodded. "Yeah, slow but sure wins the race." He lamented.

Robin leaned back in his chair. "This is going to take time. You know that."

"Yeah, Tim told me."

"When you're finished with your training you'll be better than he is."

"I know …"

"But?"

"I want to be better than you."

Robin smiled. "That's what I want to hear."

 _ **-( - )-**_

The 4 Titans and Gar entered the gym, attired in their white Gi's. They all wore black belts tied around their waists. The martial arts had never been Gar's forte, he only held the rank of 4th Dan, while everyone else was a 6th Dan or higher. Robin of course held the rank of Tenth Dan, which the True Master had personally conferred onto him, officially making him Grand Master. The truth was that he slacked as human martial art techniques weren't of much use to him when he was in his animal forms. That was going to have to change.

They started with basic black belt katas. Gar felt at ease as they, as a group, went through each kata's steps, blocking, striking and kicking at imaginary opponents. It was like a dance, with its soothing rhythm and he felt his body become fluid.

After about an hour they finished their katas.

"Tonight we're going to do low contact sparring." Robin announced. "Star, you and Cyborg will spar. Gar, you and Raven go first."

As they placed their foam helmets on their heads he whispered to her. "Don't go easy on me. I know you're better than me, especially now."

Raven nodded solemnly as they took their places on the mat. They bowed to each other and adopted fighting stances, waiting until Robin barked "Spar!"

Gar went on the offensive with a barrage of punches and kicks, which Raven was able to block almost effortlessly. She struck back and Gar struggled to block her strikes. A few got past him and she made "contact", just touching him, more than once. She could see the frustration in his eyes as she blocked every single one of his strikes. While his technique was good, he was slow, far slower than he used to be. Even when he was in his green prime she could beat him, but she had to work at it, and sometimes he would win. Now it was no contest and she felt her heart break to see him struggle so hard. She could also sense the frustration building within him. He needed to score a point, but she also knew that if she let him score he would know it. It was a lose-lose scenario, and she found herself getting frustrated as well, angry that the fates had done this to them.

And that was when he scored his point. She jabbed at him and missed. He responded with a round house kick to her head. The technique was quite good, but since he was already fatigued his control wasn't. Instead of tapping her on the side of her head with his foot, he hit her with full strength and knocked her down.

"Rave! I'm sorry!"

Raven shook her head as she sat up. She looked up at him and smiled. "Nice one, Gar! And for the record, that was a legit point."

Robin nodded and smiled. "You got a little sloppy there, Raven; but Gar took advantage of your mistake. Well done!"

Before the others could congratulate him, the Tower's Klaxons went off.

"Titans! Trouble!" Robin shouted.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Robin typed furiously at the mission console. Gar wasn't a super hero anymore, but he knew that look on the boy wonder's face. His mask didn't hide it. He only looked that way when it was **him**.

"Titans! Slade is at the National Energy Lab!"

"It's the Xenothium. He's there for the Xenothium." Gar announced in a monotone.

"He is, and he isn't getting away with it. Not on my watch."

Gar's heart sank. This was the first real mission since he lost his powers. And it wasn't just any mission.

 _It was Slade._

"Gar, you monitor things from here. Be our eye in the sky."

Logan sat down at the console and studied the situation. He quickly studied the lab's layout.

"It's a trap. Slade knows that I'm out of commission, he's gonna take advantage that there's now only four Titans … guys … don't go."

"We have to go." Robin replied. "Gar, I know that you and Raven had each other's backs, but now …"

"I know, I'd only be a liability I if came along."

Robin placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry … someday you'll be able to rejoin us, but not now."

Gar nodded and then whispered "Keep her safe."

"I'll do what I can, but stopping Slade comes first." He then turned away.

"Titans, Go!"

And they were gone.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The console was patched into the National Energy Lab's security camera network. He watched as an army of Slade-bots ran roughshod over the Lab's security force. Gar grimaced. How did Slade amass so many robots without them knowing? And what else did he have up his sleeve?

The Slade-bots began to take out the cameras as they proceeded towards the Xenothium vault. He was able to see the team arrive just before that last cameras were destroyed. All he had now were the body cameras that Robin had recently incorporated into everyone uniforms. He switched the four biggest screens to each of their cameras.

The footage as expected was brusque and at times hard to follow. Starfire and Raven did their usual aerial acrobatics and it was hard to make out anything from their cameras as their points of view constantly changed. Slade-bots briefly appeared on the screens. Robin and Cyborg, who could not fly, provided better visuals, though at times theirs too were Helter Skelter.

There was also an audio feed from each Titan. There were sounds of explosions and loud crashes heard. Occasionally he would hear their voices, calling out to each other as they regrouped in the battle. Raven briefly appeared in Starfire's view. Her hood was lowered and her face was bloodied and she soon disappeared from the Star's camera as she resumed fighting.

Gar felt a lump in his gut. Things were not going well as the Slade-bots reached the vault room. There the battle intensified. It got so loud from all the shots and explosions that he didn't hear it. He didn't need to hear her scream; as her body cam showed that she was tumbling and she didn't move after hitting the ground.

Starfire ran to her side, and her body cam went dark as she reached Raven's. Within moments Cyborg's and Robin's body cams also went dark and there was no audio either. Gar grabbed the console's microphone.

"Robin! Come in!"

There was no response.

"Cy, Star! Can you hear me!?"

Nothing!

"RAAAAVEEEEEN!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

There was no response. Gar pressed a button on the console. The display flashed the words "Call in progress"

"C'mon, Wally, stop eating and answer."

After what felt like a small eternity Kid Flash's face appeared on the console's display.

"Is that you, Beast Boy? I guess it is true, you did change."

"Never mind that. We need an emergency evacuation."

"Who?"

Gar's face became grim. "Everyone … I'm sending you the coordinates."

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _An hour later …_

The sound of multiple electro cardiographs echoed in the Tower's infirmary. Cyborg, his mechanical legs still damaged from the battle, limped between the med stations, tottering as if he was about to fall down, but did not. Garfield was sitting next to an unconscious Raven, gently wiping the dried blood from her face with a moist towel. Kid Flash and Jinx were watching over Robin and Starfire.

"That was close call." Wally remarked in a flat tone. "We barely got there in time. Any later and they would have all died."

By the time Kid Flash and Jinx arrived from Central City only Cyborg was still standing and fighting, and the Slade-bots were closing in on him. Jinx cast some bad luck curses to slow down the robots while Wally evacuated the fallen Titans, starting with Raven. Slade was able to steal enough Xenothium to destroy half the cities in the world. The Justice League took over chasing him down, but as he was always wont to do, he vanished into thin air.

Cyborg approached Raven's med station. "She's in bad shape, but she'll recover."

"You should go take care of yourself, Tin Man. That limp looks bad."

"It's just some stripped gears, I'll get to it later. Your little lady, she didn't fare as well, she took a real beating."

"Cy, it just kills me that I wasn't there to help. That I couldn't help"

"Forget it, B, Slade had our number today, it wouldn't have made any difference had Beast Boy been there. You were right, it was a trap. I've never seen so many Slade-bots. And these guys were tough, a new model with powerful laser guns! But you what? Because you stayed behind you were able to send Kid Flash to get us out of there. You saved us, B … hey look; Raven's started her healing trance."

A sigh of relief escaped Gar's lips. He then got up and approach Kid Flash and Jinx.

"Thanks … thanks for coming and saving them."

"Hey, it's what we do." Jinx replied. "So, is it true? Are you and Raven engaged?"

He nodded. "Yeah, we are."

"You set a date yet?" Wally asked.

"No, not yet."

"If I were you, I wouldn't wait." Jinx interjected. She and Wally had just tied the knot themselves a few months earlier.

"Yeah, I know … I just want to be further along with my training before we get married."

"Why?" Jinx asked.

"I … I'm not really sure. I guess maybe I feel unworthy of her like this."

"Don't be stupid, Gar." Jinx chastised him. "She accepted your proposal. Are you really gonna make wait for years?"

"I know it's dumb, but when I think about it, it's important for me. But you're right, it isn't fair to her. I guess we need to talk."

"Yes, we do." Raven's monotone rasped. No one noticed that she came out of her healing trance.

"We'll give you some privacy." Kid Flash mumbled as he took Jinx's hand and led her out of the room.

Gar wrapped his arms around her and she reciprocated. Words were not exchanged, they weren't necessary.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Some more angst. And you're going to have to wait until next chapter to find out the date.

And, now, mailbag time!

Emily The Avenger –Thanks, it's always pleasing to hear that

MrRayney – Tienes que perdir a Robion que firme los papeles.

Johnny Beast – That would be funny.

Guest – I had a very good time.

McDiggity – Yes, plenty of angst to go around.

Windows1 – I don't know what made me think of Star using GTA to learn to drive. She is an unconventional lady.

JasonVUK - You know me all too well.

titanfan45 – Starfire can be so clueless at times. She had no idea they were terrified.

Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer – There is a saying: We make plans and then life happens. I heard that from Kevin Conroy. He studied acting at Julliard in New York (Robin Williams was his classmate). He was hoping to have a Broadway career. He instead wound up being the voice of Batman in just about every cartoon and video game. Not what he was planning, but he admitted that he was pleased with how things turned out.

The Keeper of Worlds – That is a great idea. Expect to see the kids as soon as next chapter.

Ssj Maggie - Sometimes even I don't know how the story will end, or I think I do but end up changing it.

ThommyPickles – Plus I've done it too many times.


	6. Tofu Spaghetti

"Don't you ever do that again." The changeling chastised his fiancée as he released her from his arms.

Raven responded with a mild glare. "Do you really think I let myself get shot?"

He frowned back at her. "You were being reckless."

"I did no such thing. We were caught by surprise."

"And no one had your back. I told Robin to keep an eye on you."

Her glare intensified. "I don't need anyone to babysit me."

"That's not what I said." He harrumphed.

"It sure sounded like that to me. Since when does Robin have to 'keep an eye on me'? I'm not some damsel in distress."

"No, you're not, you're a Titan."

"Who doesn't need anyone, not even Robin, to watch over her like a toddler."

He groaned in exasperation. "Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Stubborn? If anyone here is stubborn, it's you. You just can't accept that you've lost your powers and you can't go on missions anymore."

The former changeling stood up. "I see, forgive me for caring about you."

"Now you're just being …"

Before Raven could finish her reply he turned and walked out and left the infirmary. Raven punched the pillow at her med station.

"Garfield Logan, sometimes you just …"

"Uncle Gar just cares about you, and it's killing him to not be at your side during fights. Don't you know that?"

Raven jerked towards the direction of the voice. It was a blond teenage girl. She had a shy smile on her face. Raven sighed.

"Melvin, When did you get here?"

"I just arrived, Starfire told me that you and Uncle Beast … I mean Uncle Gar were in the infirmary. And he's right, you're being stubborn."

Raven frowned. "Let me guess, Bobby agrees with you."

"Bobby thinks that you're being proud and uh … a little bit stupid."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me."

"We all need someone to look out for us during missions." Melvin replied. "I have Bobby, Timmy and Teether. And I watch out for them."

An exasperated sigh escaped from the sorceress' lips. "Why can't he accept that things have changed? And besides, he did watch out for me. He sent Kid Flash to evacuate me."

Melvin rolled her eyes.

"Don't you do that to me! You know I'm right!" Raven bellowed.

"Aunt Raven … this isn't about being right."

"Then what is it about?"

Melvin pursed her lips, holding back the response she wanted to give her clueless 'Aunt'. Upon composing herself, she replied.

"How would you feel if you lost your powers and your appearance changed?"

"I would welcome it."

"No you wouldn't. Remember that time you suppressed your fear and you lost your powers? You told me that you never felt so helpless in your life, that you felt naked without your powers. How do you think Uncle Gar feels?"

"You really think I don't know what he's going through?"

Melvin once again closed her eyes and pursed her lips as she composed her response.

"You need to acknowledge what he's feeling. And right now he's feeling awful about not being able to protect you."

"But he did protect me. He sent Kid Flash …"

Melvin face palmed.

"Ok, what did I say now?" Raven droned in her monotone.

"You really don't understand guys, do you?"

Raven glared at the blond. "I understand them just fine."

Melvin snickered. "No, you don't."

"And I suppose that you do?"

"Aunt Raven … rescuing you is his job. Having to ask someone else to do it … that had to hurt."

"That's stupid. Why do guys have this stupid macho …"

"No, it's not stupid; it's important to him, and you don't want to accept that. But imagine if the tables had been turned and you were the one sitting at the console watching everyone else getting creamed and then he got hit and fell to the ground and you had no choice but to ask Jinx to save him."

"Jinx? Why Jinx?"

"Because you can't stand her and hate asking her for favors."

 _How did she know that?_

"Oh please, are you saying that asking Wally to save us emasculated him? Calling Wally for evacuation is standard Titans protocol."

"It is, but you're his woman and he had to stand by, helpless, waiting for Kid Flash to show up and save you … if you were still alive, which he did not know."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"So you understand how he felt?"

"He should have put that feeling aside. We're superheroes, facing imminent death comes with the territory."

"Not everyone is like you, Aunt Raven; we can't just switch off our emotions the way you do."

"I do not 'switch off' my emotions. I keep them under control."

"You mean the way you did when Uncle Gar dated Terra."

Raven gave her a crimson glare: "Now you're just pissing me off."

"Good, we're getting somewhere."

"OK, fine, I admit it. I would hate not being able to protect him."

Melvin grinned. "The sorceress can be reasoned with."

"Don't push your luck, kid."

"Melvin's smile softened. "He loves you."

"I know, I love him too. We are getting married, you know?" Raven smirked.

"Then go tell him you're sorry."

Raven frowned. "I hate doing that."

"Everyone does. But he needs to hear it. He needs to know that you know that he cares and you understand his frustration. Don't tell him that he'll get over it, just tell him that you understand how he feels."

A small smile appeared on the demoness's gray face.

"When did you get so smart?"

"I had the best teacher."

"Really, who?"

Melvin grinned. "Who else? … It was you!"

Raven smiled at the blond teen and then lunged at her, drawing her into a hug. Melvin continued smiling and thought to herself: "Just like the old days: she can be taught."

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _A couple of hours later …_

The sound of the treadmill echoed in the gym as its occupant had a determined look on his face. He was sweating profusely but his pace was quick and steady. The treadmill's conveyor belt hummed as his feet pounded on it. He looked down at the display and smiled: he had just passed the eight mile mark.

"Thirsty?" A familiar monotone broke the silence. He turned and saw Raven standing behind him, carrying a towel and a blue colored sports drink.

His first instinct was to say no; but he noticed the look on her face. Most people would have described it as "neutral" or "expression free", but he knew her better than that. He saw a softness that was rare for her. He shut off the treadmill and hopped off. Without saying a word she unscrewed the cap off the bottle and handed it to him. He took a deep swig, with a tiny blue trickle dripping out of his mouth and down his chin and neck, which he wiped with his forearm.

"Thanks, how did you know?"

"You weren't in our room; I figured you'd be down here."

He took another swig. "You know me pretty well."

"More than you know … I am your betrothed, after all." She looked at the treadmill's display. "Eight miles already? You're improving fast."

"I suppose."

She bit her lower lip and looked a bit nervous.

"Gar, forgive me."

"For what?"

"For being an insensitive jerk."

He shook his head. "No, you're right. I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and accept that Beast Boy is gone forever."

"That's not what I meant. I'm sorry for expecting you to carry on as if nothing has changed. A lot has changed. You weren't out there with us when we fought Slade, you weren't there with me. I know I think I don't need to be protected, but I realized that I do. Just like how I feel the need to protect you. If I couldn't and had to watch while you fought Slade without me at your side, I would also … you know ... be unhappy about that. I understand how much you hated having to call Wally to save my butt; I would have felt the same way. And for the record, you aren't feeling sorry for yourself. You're working hard at retraining yourself, and I'm very proud of you. Lesser men would have already given up."

Her heart leaped when she saw that goofy grin of his make its appearance, even if his fang was missing.

"So, will you forgive me for being … me?"

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight and she returned the gesture.

"I don't want you to change, Rave; so don't even think of it."

The two remained in their mutual embrace for a long moment, until she broke the silence.

"Gar?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you need a shower in the worst way possible."

He snickered. "Will you scrub my back?"

"You know I always do."

He kissed her on her nose.

"Rave, I think we need to talk about something."

"We do?"

"Yeah … we do." He grinned.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _Later that evening …_

Robin dropped the extra leaf into the middle of the kitchen table, after which he and Starfire pushed the table ends back together.

"We haven't had guests in a long time; I almost forgot where we kept the extra leaf." He smiled.

The extended table now had ten chairs around it. Raven and Melvin set the table while Gar and Cyborg carried out platters of Cyborg's famous three meat spaghetti as well as a platter of tofu spaghetti in Marinara sauce.

The five Titans along with Kid Flash, Jinx, Melvin, Timmy and Teether took their seats at the table. The two boys were now preteens, bearing witness to the adage that time stops for no one, except perhaps for Raven. No one really knew as she had never tried to stop time again.

"Dig in, y'all! I made extra helpings, since Wally stayed for dinner. If I didn't make enough, I'll eat my hat, well I would if I had one."

Everyone chuckled at Cyborg's remark. The speedster leaned over and smiled as he inhaled the aroma, while Jinx gave him a mild glare.

"What?" He asked his wife.

"Leave some for everyone else." She muttered to him.

"But what if I'm still hungry?"

"We can pick up some pizzas on the way home. Don't be a pig, Wallace West."

Gar gently elbowed Raven, who also overheard the remark, and she elbowed him back. Neither betrayed that they overheard the Wests. Apparently Gar too could be trained. Meanwhile, Melvin began to help herself to a hearty helping from the Tofu Spaghetti platter.

"Hey, little lady; I think you want to help yourself from the other platter."

"Thanks, but I'm good."

"But that's the …" he grimaced "the tofu spaghetti."

"I know." She replied as she took her first bite. "Mmmm, my compliments to the chef."

Cyborg's jaw dropped. "Oh man! Not you too."

"The future is vegetarian, tin man." Gar interjected.

"Like heck it is." He challenged his friend before turning to the boys. He smiled as he saw them helping themselves from the three meat platter. "See, they still know what's good."

"Give it time, Cy, give it time … speaking of which, we have some good news."

"Good news is always welcome." Nightwing interjects. "So what is it?"

Gar and Raven looked at each other. He nodded and Raven turned to face their friends.

"We've set a date, next month on the 15th." She announced in her monotone.

Starfire leaped to her feet and shouted: "The Booyah!"

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _A few hours later, at Tony's Pizzeria in Central City …_

"You know, Wally, I was joking when I said we could pick up some pizza on the way home."

"You were?" He replied as he shoved another slice of pizza into his mouth.

Jinx shook her head. "Unbelievable, you should enter that 4th of July Hot Dog eating contest in New York."

"I tried, but they said I wasn't eligible since I'm a meta human."

"A meta human who eats like a pig!" She fumed.

Wally put down the pizza slice. "Ok, what's bugging you?"

He crossed her arms. "Don't think I didn't notice that you didn't congratulate them."

"You're right, I didn't."

"Why?" She screeched. "Why do you have to be such a jerk, Wallace?"

 _ **Wallace**_ _, she called him_ _ **Wallace**_ _. That meant only one thing … she was really peeved with him._

"Because their getting married is a bad idea."

"What. Are. You. Talking. About?" She glared at him.

"This stays between you and me … I was talking with Robin earlier … he said that he doesn't think Gar is gonna make the cut."

"So what?"

"Jinx, you know that superheroes can't have relationships with 'normies'. And in their case it's gonna be especially bad, since he lost his powers. If Gar can't rejoin the team he's gonna have to stand by, biting his nails, every time Raven goes out on a mission."

"She said she would quit if it came to that."

Wally shook his head. "I know Raven was sincere when she said that, but do you really expect her to not help if Slade or Trigon return? She won't retire, Jinx, she'll try, but she'll get dragged back in. It'll create too much tension between them. It won't last, Jinx; they'll end up divorced."

Jinx turned away from him. "You had faith in me. Why not in them?"

"Well, to be honest, a lot of people told me I was nuts when I asked you to marry me."

"Do you think we're doomed?" She asked.

"No, of course not!"

"Well, neither are they. You wait and see, everything will fine with them."

Wally sighed. "I hope you're right, I really do."


	7. Decisions

_A week later …_

Raven was sitting at the kitchen table. Laid out in front of her, like sunbathers on a beach was a small army of pamphlets. In her hands she had a catalogue, which had a least 100 glossy pages, each one with a model dressed in a radiant bridal gown. She was so completely focused on her task with her brow furrowed that she didn't notice the two sudden arrivals in the otherwise tranquil room.

"Watcha lookin' at?" A young boy asked.

Raven snapped out of her near like trance and looked up. Timmy and Teether were both staring at her with goofy looks on their faces.

"I'm trying to select a wedding dress to order … and failing miserably."

Timmy looked over her shoulder. "I like that one, it's all frilly."

"Which is why I don't like it." Raven replied as she flipped the page.

Teether picked up a pamphlet and gave it a confused look. "What's a cat-er-rer? Do they have cats?"

"Cool!" Timmy interjected. "You should totally have cats at your wedding! Meow!"

Raven replied in her flattest monotone. "Not a cat-er-rer, a caterer."

"What's that?" Teether asked.

"They will prepare and serve the food at our wedding reception. It's like a restaurant, but they come to you."

"A restaurant? Yum! I want a hamburger with fries."

"Except that there will only be two or three choices. No hamburgers, sorry."

"Then what are we gonna eat?"

"You can choose Eggplant Parmesan, Beef Wellington or Chicken Cordon-bleu."

"Eggplant? What's that?" Teether asked. "I don't like eggs."

"It sounds gross." Timmy added.

"I think the two of you will like the chicken." She calmly replied as she resumed silently studying the bridal catalog.

They remained silent for a few minutes, until Teether broke the silence. "Aunt Raven, why do women wear wedding dresses?"

She put the catalog down.

"That's a good question. I guess the best answer is that it's tradition."

"What's that mean?"

"It means … that's the way it's always been done."

"Ah." Both boys replied. "Why is it white?" Teether asked.

"It's supposed to represent the bride's purity."

"Purity?" Timmy asked.

"Yeah … it means … how can I put this so you can understand?" She replied as she sipped her tea.

Timmy grinned. "It means you're a virgin, right?"

Raven spat out her tea. She quickly composed herself. "Yes, that is the traditional reason." She replied as she took another sip of her tea.

"So you won't be wearing white then, right?" Timmy asked.

Once again, Raven spit her tea out. She glared at the boy. "And why would I not wear white?"

Timmy grinned mischievously. "Because you and uncle Gar are already doing it."

Before Raven could react the young boy got smacked on the back of his head.

"That's no way to talk to your Aunt Raven! Now get lost!" Melvin shouted at them. The boys scurried out of the common room and without a word they vanished.

"Sorry about that … boys will be boys."

Raven sighed and looked at the catalog. "Maybe they're right, maybe I shouldn't wear white."

Melvin took her hand. "Oh come on! You make it sound like you're a slut."

Raven pursed her lips. "I'm not a virgin."

"You've only slept with Uncle Gar." She smirked. "That doesn't count."

Raven gave Melvin a wary look. "You have an interesting definition of virginity. Even if we were married, I wouldn't be a virgin anymore."

Melvin gave her a small smile. "You are so wearing white."

Raven leaned back and sighed. "That's the least of my worries."

Melvin nodded knowingly. "The Wedding Mass … that sounds intimidating, even to me. Will there be like incense and Latin chanting?"

"No, it will be very contemporary. But right now we are waiting for the local Bishop to grant us a dispensation so we can marry in the Church."

"A dispensation? … Oh, I get it, because you're not Catholic."

Raven frowned unhappily. "You should have seen his face when I told him I was half demon. I thought he was going to have a stroke. His assistant then proceeded to douse me in holy water."

"Did it burn?" Melvin winked at Raven.

"Very funny …no … it didn't burn. But that led to something else … the Bishop suggested that I be baptized."

"Whoa … he said that? What did you say?"

"That I'd think about it."

"And?"

"He accepted that answer for now."

"But what are you going to tell him later?"

"I … I'm not sure."

"So you're considering it? Really?"

"I guess I am."

"May I ask why?"

Raven looked Melvin square in the eyes. "Being a half demon isn't a good thing."

Melvin gasped. "This would be an exorcism!"

Raven nodded. "Few people know this, but exorcism is part of the baptismal rite."

Melvin looked astonished. "That's amazing … what would happen to your powers?"

"I believe I would lose them. I'm also certain that my appearance would change. You've seen pictures of Arella, my mother. I would probably look like her."

"You mean you would look Asian."

Raven nodded.

"Whoa … that's deep … Raven … are you really ready to give up your powers?"

Raven thumbed absentmindedly through the catalog.

"Aunt Raven, do you really want to lose your powers?"

The sorceress sighed. "I would in theory still be able to do magic, though that too is forbidden by the church."

"What if Trigon comes back? Who would stop him?"

She shook her head. "I lied about him."

"What do you mean?"

"He's dead. I killed him. He isn't coming back. Other than you, only Gar knows this."

A solemn look appeared on Melvin's face. "I understand."

Raven stood up and walked over to the large windows and gazed across the bay.

"For years I have been this city's guardian, putting the safety and welfare of its inhabitants before my own." She turned to face Melvin. "But like you, there are others coming behind me, ready to fill my shoes. Melvin … Jump doesn't really need me anymore. The police are now much better prepared to deal with supervillains, and there will be other heroes, new Teen Titans, who will take my and Gar's places."

Melvin nodded. "You'd both be 'normal', just ordinary people. Are you sure you're OK with that?"

Raven conjured a ball of dark energy around her hand. "I would lose my telekinesis powers … I wouldn't be able to fly anymore or teleport … it would be a huge step … but there's more."

"What else is there?"

"I don't age. I'm not immortal, I can be hurt and even killed, but I don't age and I'm immune to all illnesses. In theory I could live forever."

"But if you're exorcised, you'll be a mortal … you'll get old …"

"And I'll eventually die … Melvin … I want to grow old with him. I don't want to stay …" she gestured at herself "like this and watch him grow old and die."

"Have you talked with him about this?"

Raven slowly shook her head. "No, not yet."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Raven found Garfield in their room, having just returned from another session with the old treadmill. She silently phased through the door and he, now lacking his sensitive pointy ears, did not hear her arrive. She paused, levitating by the door.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, slumping. He looked tired, very tired, as he gingerly peeled off his socks and tossed them on the floor. He then heaved an unhappy groan.

"Are you OK?" She broke the silence.

He jerked upon hearing her voice and his body language changed as he suddenly sat up straight.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. Gar, you're pushing yourself too hard. We've discussed this, you need to be patient."

"I'm behind schedule. Dick told me himself."

"Then we need to talk with him."

"No!" He glared at her. "That'll just be proof that I'm not cut out for the job."

Raven sat down next to him and lowered her hood, after which she took his hand.

"Gar, maybe …"

He leaped to his feet. "No! Don't say it."

"Gar, I could get baptized and then …"

"No, not yet! You aren't giving up your powers just because I'm struggling."

"But why not?"

He crossed his arms and paced around the room. "Because you'd be doing it for me. You have your own religion, Rave. If you want to join the Church, I'm fine with that, but only if you want to do it … and losing your powers, do you really want to do that?"

"Gar, what if you can't do it?"

"Have some faith in me, OK? At least wait until I wash out before you throw your powers away."

"I suppose you're right." She sighed softly. "I'll tell the Bishop thanks, but that I'm not ready."

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _The next day …_

Raven picked up the phone and dialed the number for the Bishop's secretary. The phone rang twice before it was answered.

"Mrs. Fontani, hello this is Raven from the Titans … yes, I'm fine, how are you? … Yes, I have made a decision … I've decided to not be baptized at this time … yes, that is correct … a problem? I don't understand … uh huh … yes, I understand … thank you Mrs. Fontani … goodbye."

Raven hung up the phone. Grayson was alone in the kitchen. He knew Raven very well, and could read her subtle body language cues like a book. He knew that it wasn't good news.

"Raven, are you OK?"

"I suppose I am."

"What happened?"

She crossed her arms. "I was refused a marriage dispensation on account of being half demon. Unless I agree to be baptized and be exorcised I can't marry Gar in the Church."

The masked Titan shrugged. "So don't, I'm sure I can dig up someone who will conduct a religious ceremony, even if it's a Buddhist monk. In the worst case we can get a Justice of the Peace."

"I promised the Daytons I would marry in the Church."

"It's not your fault you were rejected and it isn't fair of them to coerce you. Raven, they'll just have to accept it."

The demoness sat down at the kitchen.

"Dick, we need to talk."

"About?"

"Gar."

He sat down next to her.

"You don't have to sugarcoat it, how is his training coming along?"

Grayson sighed unhappily. "Not as good as it could be."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he might not make it."

"What does that mean?"

"It means … it's highly unlikely. Raven, his proficiency will be way above average, but …"

"Not good enough to be a Titan."

"I'm afraid so … I'm sorry Raven, I really am. If only he had some of his animal reflexes I think he would make it. Isn't there something you could do about that, a spell or something?"

She shook her head. "Magic doesn't work like that."

"I'm sorry, Raven; I really am."

"I guess I'll break the bad news to him."She said in a sad tone.

Grayson frowned. "No, that's my job. Your job will be to console him and tell him what a jerk I am … I'll go tell him right now."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Garfield was doing reps with a 10lb dumbbell when Robin walked into the gym. The room smelled of sweat. Logan stopped his exercise when he saw the masked Titan.

"Yo Rob, wassup?"

"We have to talk."

"I know, I'm falling behind … I'll try harder, I'll train even more."

Grayson sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Gar, you're not training anymore."

"What!? What the hell? I just said that I would try harder."

"I know, Gar, I know. I don't have any problems with your commitment. But … physically, you aren't cutting it."

"That's a lie!"

Robin shook his head. "No, it's not. I'm sorry, but the metrics don't lie. While you are much fitter than 99% of men out there you aren't keeping up because you can't. You just don't have the stamina, reflexes, raw strength or athletic ability to be a non superpowered Titan."

Gar stared at the floor, fighting back the tears welling in his eyes. He choked back a sob before replying.

"So that's it … it's over, I'm washed up as a Titan."

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry, I really am. But there's no point in continuing your training."

"I wish I was still Beast Boy."

"Believe me, I also wish that was true. But there is room for you here in the Tower; we can find something for you to do."

"Don't patronize me."

The Tower's klaxons began to blare.

"Trouble … we'll talk more about this when we get back." Robin announced as he ran out of the gym.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _A few hours later …_

"When did Control Freak become such a tough nut to crack?" Cyborg groaned unhappily.

No one answered Cyborg's question at first, until Raven broke the silence. "I think we all know why."

"Beast Boy is gone, he isn't coming back. Dr. Caulder said so himself." Grayson interjected.

"He did not say that it was impossible, only very unlikely." Starfire interjected.

"Same difference." Cyborg grumbled.

Robin approached Raven. "Maybe you should go talk to him. He wasn't at the console during the mission."

Raven sighed. She had no idea of what she would say to him. The wedding was less than a month away. She was wondering if maybe they should postpone the ceremony. But she also knew that if they did that there was a good chance they would never tie the knot. She frowned as she walked down the hall towards their room. This was a perilous time in their relationship. One misstep and it could end in disaster. She remembered what Melvin told her, that she needed to listen to him and not try to fix things. This of course was her challenge; she wasn't the touchy feely type, but she was going have to improvise, Azar help her; if she blew it …

She suddenly found herself in front of the door to her room. She phased through the door. To her surprise the lights were off and the room was silent.

"Garfield?"

There was no response. She reached out with her senses and did not feel his presence. That meant one of two things: either he was away from the Tower or …

Feeling panic overtaking her she punched a button on the new wall console, one of many which Cyborg installed throughout the Tower.

"At your command." The console announced in its synthetic voice.

"Computer, locate Garfield Logan."

"Garfield Logan left the Tower three hours and forty two minutes ago."

She heaved a deep sigh. He was OK.

"Where is he?"

"His location is unknown as he did not take his communicator with him."

"I guess he wants to be alone." She mumbled to herself. "Why didn't he come to me?"

"How did he leave the Tower?"

"He left on a scooter."

"Where is it?" She asked, knowing the scooter had a tracking device.

"It is located one mile west of the Tower, on the Bay Side Boulevard. It has been motionless for three hours and thirty eight minutes."

Phasing through the window Raven flew out of the Tower, making a beeline for the scooter. She quickly found it, parked on the road's shoulder. She reached out with her senses again, but he was nowhere to be found. It was more than obvious what happened. He rode the scooter to meet another mode of transportation, so he couldn't be tracked. Raven then saw there was a bus stop nearby. She flew to it and focused hard, search for any trace of his aura. After a moment she sensed it, he had been there. So he caught a bus. She looked at the map on the bus shelter wall. Her heart sank as the bus stop was served by 16 different bus lines. Which bus he took was anyone's guess.

Raven flew back to her room. She could feel his aura there still and as expected it was distressed. Damn Robin, what did he tell Gar?

It was then that she noticed that the closet door was ajar. She slid it all the way open and gasped. Almost all of his clothes were gone.

"Gar, where did you go?" She whimpered. "Why didn't you wait for me? I would have gone with you."

 _ **-( - )-**_

A Gulfstream Jet was flying over the Gulf of Mexico, when the radio on the flight deck crackled to life.

"This is Miami air control. DP-001, do you have a flight plan or will you be landing in Miami?"

"No flight plan to file. This is Doom Patrol business, the flight plan is classified."

"Very well. Please stay out of Miami restricted airspace."

"Roger. DP-001 out."

Robotman restored the radio's microphone to its perch.

"We're good to go, kid. We're going straight to Upper Lamumba, and no one knows we're going there, not even Mento."

"Thanks, Cliff."

"Don't mention it, kid; I understand."

Garfield leaned back into his seat.

"I'm glad someone does."


	8. Upper Lumumba

_The next morning …_

Robin walked into his office. Little had changed in it since they all first moved into the Tower years ago. The walls were still covered with newspaper clippings, mostly regarding Slade. Many of them had red push pins in them and they were connected with red sewing thread, tying together seemingly unrelated issues. Many in the Watchtower considered "The Question" to be a paranoid conspiracy kook, even if he was a member of the Justice League. What they didn't know was that Robin was equally obsessed with conspiracies; of course in his case they centered on Slade.

He ignored the Slade clippings on the wall and eased himself into his aero chair. Cyborg was right, since when was Control Freak such a formidable opponent?

He sighed. "Since we lost Beast Boy." He muttered unhappily.

He recounted breaking the bad news to Garfield; replaying the encounter in his head. It had not gone well, not that he expected it to go well. He recalled the look on Logan's face. It made Grayson feel sick in his gut to do that to his friend. Hopefully he would understand someday, and forgive him.

The wedding … oh crap … Robin figured that he could forget about attending the ceremony … hopefully Raven would be able to console the former changeling. A sly smile appeared on Robin's face. Maybe Raven was doing the best kind "consoling". Starfire had confided in him, during one of their own sessions, what Raven had told her about her own "quality time" with Garfield. His grey friend wasn't as inhibited as she let on. His smile widened. Yup, after she was done with Gar he wouldn't even remember washing out.

Good old Raven, Robin could always count on her. She must be banging him right now … the lucky dog.

As he leaned back in the chair the office door was engulfed in dark energy and was torn from its hinges. A four eyed Raven stormed into his office. He gulped. Apparently she wasn't "consoling" her betrothed.

"What the Trigon did you tell him!?" She thundered in a guttural voice.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The Gulfstream jet circled around the small airport near Upper Lumumba's capital city; which was small and still showed the signs of the recent civil war there were more than a few burned out buildings. Others were flattened; the victims of mortar shell fire from both sides of the conflict, which was now over as the Chinese backed insurgents had claimed victory of the former American puppet government and now controlled the capital city. From the corporate jet Gar could see all of the reconstruction work, which was funded by new government's Chinese benefactors. The airport's runway was one of the first things to be repaired and as the Gulfsteam landed he saw several Chinese air freighters being unloaded. The jet landed and pulled up to the terminal, which was also being repaired. A Chinese military officer, along with four heavily armed Lumumban soldiers approached the jet. Garfield watched them warily through a port hole.

"It could be worse kid, at least this isn't Qu'rac. Their civil war is still in full gear."

Gar nodded solemnly. "I guess. I still don't feel very welcome here."

"Americans aren't very popular here these days … you know what to do."

Gar nodded as he opened the airplane's hatch; which had a small staircase built into it. As Gar descended the military officer approached him.

"Dayton Industries has no business in Upper Lumumba. Get back into your jet and leave." The man barked at him. "You're lucky you weren't shot down."

Garfield handed the man his passport. "I'm not here on Dayton business." He replied in Lumumban.

The officer examined the passport, which was Lumumban. He gave young Logan a slight smirk. "You're a Lumumban citizen? This passport could be a forgery."

"I also brought my birth certificate. You can check with your civil registry, it's all legitimate."

The officer held on to the papers. "We will do that … so tell me … Garfield Logan, what brings you to Upper Lumumba?"

"I'm here on a pilgrimage."

"A pilgrimage? Interesting. If your papers are fake the only pilgrimage you will do will be to our prison." He gestured at the airplane. "It's not too late to leave."

"My papers are not fake, I was born here."

The Chinese officer grinned. "Very well, but for your sake, I hope they are not falsified. It is more than obvious that you are an American. You must be a spy. A spy for the Dayton Corporation."

"Dayton has never had any business interests in Upper Lumumba. They transported me here as a courtesy."

The officer laughed. "A courtesy? Why would they do that?"

Gar narrowed his eyes. "They have their reasons. Now, can we go to the immigration desk?"

The officer smirked. "As you wish, young American."

 _ **-( - )-**_

"What the Trigon did you tell him!?" She thundered in a guttural voice.

Grayson tensed up. Raven was perhaps the most dangerous of the Titans. He remembered when she easily dispatched the demonically enhanced Slade single handedly. He recalled Slade's words just before he fled: That her friends feared her. And it was true; an angry Raven was not someone you would ever want to cross.

"I told him that he washed out."

"Liar! You told him more than that." She roared.

"Raven, what are you talking about?"

A dark tendril shot out and wrapped itself around Grayson's torso. This was a very dangerous moment, one Robin would not be able to neutralize with a birdarang or anything else in his utility belt.

"Calm down. I was very diplomatic with him. I did tell him I would find a new role for him on the team. And that we would talk about it when we got back … where is he?"

"I don't know, you idiot."

"You don't know? I thought he was with you."

"He ran away, Sherlock! He's gone. What did you tell him?"

Grayson sighed. "Raven, he probably wants to be alone. Why don't you go find him? He's probably waiting for you somewhere."

"You think I haven't tried that? He's gone. He left town. I've been out all night looking for him."

Grayson groaned his displeasure. "If you let me go, I can track him down."

Raven's expression softened and she released Robin.

"Thanks, now let's start with commercial airlines."

Robin stepped over to the terminal on his desk and began to type.

"He isn't on any passenger list." He frowned. "Hang on, I have an idea." He continued typing. "Bingo! There it is."

Raven shoved him aside and looked at the screen. "A Dayton Industries jet?"

Robin grinned. "He just went home to see his folks. He's fine."

"I would like to confirm that." She replied in a terse voice. "Call the Doom Patrol. I'm gonna give Gar a piece of my mind for leaving without telling me."

Robin was relieved to hear Raven redirecting her anger to Logan. He pressed a button on his console.

"Calling them."

Within seconds the call was answered, not by any member of the Doom Patrol; but by Vernon Questor, the man who ran Steve Dayton's business empire while he chased super villains.

"Good afternoon, Robin. How may I assist you?"

Once again, Raven shoved Robin aside.

"I want to talk to Garfield."

"Young Master Logan is not here. He hasn't been here since the two of you visited the Manor."

"Where is Steve?"

"I'm afraid that the Doom Patrol just left on a mission."

"Did their mission include a stop in Jump City?"

He shook his head. "No it did not. They only left an hour ago; right after Robotman returned from a personal errand. Steve was not amused; they had to wait for Cliff to return and their departure was delayed."

"Where did Cliff go?" Robin asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"A Dayton Industries business jet left Jump yesterday without a flight plan. We think Logan was on that plane. We need to know where Robotman took him." Robin replied.

Questor frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't know."

"He took him to Upper Lumumba!" Raven shouted.

"No way … why would he go there? Caulder said it was impossible." Robin interjected.

"If I recall correctly, Dr. Caulder's report said no such thing. He did say that any attempt to restore the Sakutia virus would be very dangerous and likely fail, probably fatally; but he never said it was impossible." Questor remarked.

Raven became panic stricken. "We have to stop him."

Robin turned back to Questor's image on the screen.

"Where is the Logan's old lab located?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. Master Logan never shared that information with anyone here."

Raven grabbed Robin's arm. "We need to leave now! I can teleport ahead; the rest of you can catch up with me!"

"Raven, wait; you shouldn't go alone! Upper Lumumba is 300,000 square kilometers, and is currently closed to Americans."

"I'm not an American." She replied and she vanished into a portal in the floor.

Robin slammed his fist on his desk. This was not a good day.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _ **A few hours earlier …**_

The immigration officer handed Gar his papers.

"Everything checks out, welcome home, Mr. Logan."

Gar turned to face the Chinese officer. "I told you so."

"Yes you did, Mr. Logan. May I ask where you are going on this pilgrimage of yours?"

Gar showed him the coordinates of his destination. The officer pulled out a map.

"That place is right in the middle of enemy held territory. If you don't mind, I would like to send an armed escort with you."

"To keep an eye on me?"

"To keep you alive. You're a civilian; you have no idea of what you are walking into." He replied as he gestured at nearby soldier, who approached.

"Sergeant, select three men and a jeep to escort Mr. Logan to these coordinates."

The man saluted the officer and turned to Garfield. "Follow me."

As Garfield walked away another officer approached his comrade.

"Do you really think he knows where the lab is?"

"I'm counting on it." The superior officer replied. "He used to be Beast Boy."

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _A few hours later …_

It was dark and the airport was poorly lit. A bored Lumumban sentry stood at his post, wishing something interesting would happen.

That was when a hooded figure rose from the ground as if riding an elevator. He was so startled that he almost dropped his rifle. The hooded figure stood still as it looked around, until it saw him. He stared in disbelief as the figure glided over to him. He aimed his rifle at the intruder.

"Halt!"

The figure stopped. The sentry was standing under one of the few street lights that worked in the airport. He was wearing a small radio, which he keyed up.

"I have an intruder in Section G5."

"What kind of intruder?" A voice with a Chinese accent asked.

"I don't know, it came out of nowhere. It rose from the ground."

"Help is on its way. Do not engage the intruder. I repeat do not engage."

The sentry shivered. "Roger. I will not engage."

Trembling, he continued to aim his rifle at the shrouded and mysterious stranger.

"Identify yourself."

The stranger slowly approached him and entered the light. To his surprise the stranger was a petite woman wearing a blue cape and hood. He also noticed that she wore a leotard and was very shapely.

"My name is Raven, I'm a Titan"

"Do not move."

"I would like to speak with your commander."

She heard dozens of footsteps approach. A small, heavily armed platoon, led by a Chinese officer entered the light as well and surrounded her, aiming her weapons at her. The officer gestured and they lowered their weapons. The officer spoke to her.

"What brings the famous Raven of the Titans to Upper Lumumba? And why have you entered the country illegally?"

"I have come here to locate someone. And per United Nations resolution 527a, I can enter any country when on Titans business."

"The government of Upper Lumumba does not recognize United Nations resolution 527a. You are an intruder and are violating our sovereign laws. You are to leave immediately."

"I am searching for my fiancé. I will not leave until I locate him."

The officer did not betray any emotion. "Your fiancé, whoever he is, is not here."

"His name is Garfield Logan."

"We know nothing of a Garfield Logan."

Raven glared at the man. "You are lying."

"I suppose that you claim to be some sort of mind reader."

Raven stood her ground. "I can sense emotions. While you're good at not externalizing them, I can still feel them. And you are lying. Tell me where he is, now!"

The officer smirked. "The only one who is lying is you, Raven of the Titans. This is your last warning, leave now or will use deadly force against you."

Raven's eyes split into two crimson pairs.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me where he is."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Is Raven about to cause an international incident?


	9. Intervention

"I'm not leaving until you tell me where he is."

The officer narrowed his eyes. He wasn't fazed by the American superhero, for all he knew her powers were trivial, plus she was already surrounded by fifty of his men. He gestured with his hand and they, in unison, cocked their weapons, which made an ominous clacking sound.

Raven did not back down and a black bubble appeared around her.

"I don't want to hurt you." She deadpanned in her signature monotone, which betrayed no emotion whatsoever. "But I will if I have to."

"I'm perfectly fine with hurting you." He replied with a cold steely look in his eyes. He raised his right hand and the soldiers all aimed at Raven's silhouetted figure, which remained safely inside her bubble.

"Believe me, this is a fight you can't win." She droned.

"Upon my command, and only on my command, fire … this is your last chance, American. Leave now while you still can."

"I'm not American and I'm not leaving."

"You have been warned." He turned away from her and gestured with his arm. "Fire!"

Before a single shot could be fired a yellow blur zoomed around Raven. The soldiers stared down at their now empty hands. The yellow blur zoomed away before returning. Raven rolled her eyes.

"I had it all under control, Kid Flash."

He smiled nervously at her while rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, actually, you're kind of in trouble."

"Trouble? What are you talking about?"

At that very moment four figures swooped down from the sky and landed in front of Raven. She groaned unhappily when she saw who they were. A man in a red cape addressed the military officer.

"It's OK commander, we have the situation under control." Superman announced authoritatively.

The officer was still unfazed, even though a Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and the Man of Steel stood before him.

"The Justice League is also not welcome in Upper Lumumba."

"We know that." Wonder Woman replied. "We will be leaving, we just came for her."

Raven dropped her shield. "What makes you think you can make me leave?" She glared at the visitors.

"Don't be stubborn. Can't you see you're about to start a war?" Hal Jordan chastised her.

"I'm only here to find Garfield."

"And this is the wrong way to do it." Captain Marvel interjected.

Raven glared at Shazam's champion. "Let me guess: that's Solomon's Wisdom?"

"It is … there are better ways to find him." Captain Marvel calmly replied.

Raven groaned unhappily. "There's no time to waste. I have to find him now!"

"Yes, we know, he's going to reinfect himself." Superman remarked.

"Then you know that time is of the essence."

"Yes, we do. Come back with us to the Watchtower. We have the tools there to find him. Raven, it could take you weeks to find him on your own. Let us help you." Jordan implored her.

Raven sighed. She knew they were right. She could no longer feel his aura at the airport, which meant that he was long gone."Very well, I will go with you."

"It is fortunate for you, young American, that you listened to them." The officer barked.

"Actually, you're the lucky ones. Raven would have wiped the floor with you." Wonder Woman snapped at them. "And she isn't American, she's Azarathian". She then tapped her ear piece. "Watchtower, five to teleport."

As the Justice Leaguers and Raven began to shimmer, Marvel spoke to Kid Flash, who was not being teleported with the others. "Give them their guns back before you leave."

Wally saluted before vanishing in another yellow blur. Within a split second the soldiers had their weapons in their hands. Before they could say anything, Kid Flash was gone. The officer kicked a stone before turning to his sergeant.

"I hate the Justice League almost as much as I hate Americans. I hate all superheroes; they know nothing of military discipline."

"Aren't they all Americans, Sir?"

"Most of them are, that's why I hate them."

The officer marched away in a huff. Once he was gone, the soldiers began to chat excitedly with each other.

"I can't believe it, I actually saw Superman!"

"Forget Superman, did you see Wonder Woman. Now that babe is what I call stacked!" A Corporal enthused.

The sergeant was about to reprimand his men, but instead he smiled. The Corporal was right, and best of all, no one got hurt.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The jeep struggled to climb up the muddy road, which resembled a river more than a road as a torrent of water flowed. A seemingly endless downpour had all five of the vehicle's occupants soaked and drenched to the bone. After several attempts the jeep made it over the top of the jungle road. Garfield looked around. There wasn't a single landmark he recognized, even though they were about 20 kms from the village. It wasn't surprising, though. There weren't any tall mountains nearby, and when he lived in the jungle all there was to see was … the jungle, which being a living thing was always changing. The last recognizable landmark was the river they barely managed to cross in the jeep 2 hours ago.

Gar could tell that his escorts were getting tired and hungry, and were eager to arrive at their destination. The road was now downhill and other than an occasional skid in a mud patch the jeep was making good progress again, that is until they came around a tight corner. A fallen tree blocked their path. After the jeep ground to a halt, the sergeant hopped out with his men.

"Mr. Logan, if you don't mind, we could use your help."

Gar was staring at the tree. At first glance it looked as though it had simply fallen over, but then he saw it: chain marks on the trunk. The tree had been pulled down.

"Take cover, it's an ambush!" Garfield shouted. Within seconds bullets began to fly.

Garfield ducked under the jeep and looked around. His escorts began to fire indiscriminately and blindly into the foliage. Suddenly, 20 guerrilla fighters emerged aiming their weapons at the soldiers, who dropped their own and surrendered.

A tall bearded man, with his hair in a large retro looking Afro, and who appeared to be in charge, approached the sergeant.

"There was a white man with you. Where is he!?"

The sergeant looked around. "I don't know, he must have run away."

The bearded man frowned. "We'll find him, we don't need you army scum." He then turned to his men. "Kill them."

A loud battle cry echoed in the forest. The bearded man turned just in time to see a bo staff come crashing down on his head, knocking him out. Gunfire erupted, but their attacker was unbelievably fast. He threw boomerangs at the other men and with the agility of a panther he took them out, one by one.

"Shoot him, dammit!" Another guerrilla shouted. But it was to no avail. The escort recovered their weapons and joined in the fight, not that it was necessary, as the lone warrior had everything under control. With a swift overhead move he took out the last guerrilla. The fight was over. The sergeant approached him as he retracted his bo staff and put it away

"Mr. Logan! That was amazing! You must be a superhero."

"Not according to Robin." Gar mumbled under his breath.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The Watchtower was a quiet place. Unlike the Hall of Justice on Earth, the league members did not congregate there. It was an observation post, and for the most part only the league's most senior members had a presence there.

Raven stared out the window, looking down upon the African continent below.

"Raven, we're ready." A deep monotone called out.

She turned around and saw Batman seated at a large console, flanked by the other heroes. She nodded and approached them.

"What do you know of this place, this village where he went?" The Dark Knight asked.

She crossed her arms. "Not much, he rarely talked about it. I don't know the name."

"Any information helps."

"It was in a jungle."

A large map of Upper Lumumba appeared on an overhead screen. Batman tapped a few key strokes. The part of the country, about 40% of it, that was jungle, turned green.

"What else?"

"There was a waterfall."

More keystrokes. About fifty blue dots appeared on the screen.

"Anything special about it?"

"His parents died when their canoe accidentally went over the falls."

Batman nodded. He typed some more. There were now only eight blue dots on the screen. He typed some more. Dozens of red dots appeared on the screen, all upstream from the waterfalls.

"There are fifty three villages. It could be any one of them." Batman announced. "Do you know anything else?"

"They had a lab."

More typing. Now there were seven red dots. "All of these villages have modern structures in them."

"Then we send someone to each village to investigate." Raven barked. "There's no time to waste."

"We need to be careful." Hal Jordan interjected. "There could be a military presence in those villages. If we just show up there could be an incident."

Raven clenched her teeth. "So then what do we do? Just sit here?"

"We have some operatives in Lumumba, posing as locals. We'll have them investigate. But there is one caveat: Logan's village might be abandoned, if it is, it won't appear on our records. We'll begin an infrared scan along the rivers near the waterfalls for any modern structures, but that will take some time. We'll have to sit tight until we hear back from our operatives." Batman deadpanned. "I know you are eager to go down and search yourself, but there is more at stake here than your fiancé. We have intelligence reports indicating that the Chinese backed government in Lumumba is up to something involving supervillains, but at this point we have no proof. That's what our operatives are working on. If we go barging in all their work will have been in vain, and they could possibly be killed."

Raven nodded her understanding and walked back to the large windows on the space station's hub. She looked down upon the African continent. A tear dripped down her face.

"Garfield, where are you?"

 _ **-( - )-**_

After tying up the rebels, the sergeant left two of his men behind to guard them while they waited for a patrol to collect the prisoners. The remainder of the jeep ride was uneventful, that is until the emerged from the jungle. The road ended at the base of a mighty waterfall, one that was over 100 ft tall. As the jeep came to stop Garfield hopped out and appeared to be lost at first. Then it looked like he recognized something and he dash into the foliage, slashing at it with a machete. He hacked away furiously for several minutes until he suddenly stopped. He dropped his blade and fell to his knees. The sergeant had been watching him from a distance and decided to approach him.

"Mr. Logan, all you alright?"

As he reached Garfield he saw them, two unmarked gravestones. He backed away and gave Logan his privacy. The three soldiers waited patiently by the jeep until minutes later he returned to the vehicle. Gar looked into the jungle.

"The road's gone. We'll have to walk the rest of the way." He turned to the soldiers. "You don't have to come with me. Another storm is brewing, a big one. You can go back now."

"Our orders are to accompany you until you reach your destination."

"Whatever. Stay close. And watch out for green monkeys."

The sergeant gulped. He had never seen one of the fabled sakutia bearing monkeys and he hoped to never see one if he could help it.

"We will be fine, Mr. Logan."

Gar nodded. "Okay then, let's get going."

 _ **-( - )-**_

It was nighttime below on Earth, at least from the perspective of the observation lounge. Hawkgirl watched with a jaundiced eye as Raven levitated, deep in meditation. She turned to Wonder Woman.

"She's always given me the creeps, Diana. What do we know about Raven anyway?"

The Amazon looked at her friend and teammate. "Just that she's part demon and that she grew up in a place called Azarath."

Hawkgirl shivered. "Really, part demon? How do we know that? Raven has never publicly admitted that."

"Zatanna. Some years ago, before she joined the Titans, Raven came to the Justice League, asking for help. Zatanna was able to detect her demonic heritage and we sent Raven away."

"Help? Help with what?"

"She never told us. Batman thinks that she was trying to warn us about Trigon, but to this day she refuses to tell us why she came to us for help."

"Well, lucky for us she was able to defeat Trigon … heck, we were toast, not even your Greek God friends could fend against him."

Diana stared at the gray Titan. "She is a mysterious one. I've asked Zeus himself, and he doesn't know who she really is … I don't think anyone does."

At that moment Raven lowered her legs to the ground. She looked Diana in the eyes. The Amazon princess shivered. There was definitely something dark and dangerous about Raven, and she was glad the gray women was one of the "good guys".

"Any news?" Raven asked.

Diana shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Our operatives are in position, but there has been no sign of him."

At that moment Batman walked into the room.

"Something has come up."

He had their attention.

"We detected a jeep parked near an unnamed waterfall. It's unoccupied and there is no one nearby. We are scanning the area for hidden structures, but the search is being affected by a heavy storm. Hopefully by morning we'll be able to find it."

"Not good enough. For all we know he already found the lab." She replied with a clear edge in her voice. "Send me down to the jeep. I can follow his aura from there."

Batman shook his head. "You already know you can't go down. If we send you down, our cover will be blown."

"But …. ". Raven dropped her head. "I understand."

Batman placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please be patient. We're getting close. Our operatives will be with him tomorrow morning."

Wonder Woman gestured with her head and everyone left the room. Raven looked out the window at the continent below and she stared at it for several minutes. The sun wouldn't rise for hours. If they found him, it would almost certainly be too late. She then walked back into the main control room, which was empty. The screen was blank, but resting on the console was a note. It read: "Here are the coordinates. Whatever you do, don't get caught or be seen." And it was signed. "A friend"

Raven took the note and summoned one of her portals.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _A few hours earlier …_

Four men trudged into a small clearing. The remains of an old village could be seen. It was more than obvious that the village had been abandoned for years, as the old huts were in various states of collapse. But then Garfield's eyes lit up. It was there. The old house. It was made of wood and had a corrugated metal roof. It was better built that than the villagers' huts and it was still standing. It looked smaller than he remembered but there was no mistake.

He found it.


	10. Treasure

Gar stared at the old house as a flood of memories rushed before his eyes. He could see his parents sitting on the porch, relaxing after a hard day working in their lab. Back then the house was fairly new and in good condition. Nearly twenty years had passed, and Father Time had taken its toll on the abandoned structure, which now looked decrepit and derelict.

The villagers of course had fled shortly after young Garfield was bitten by the legendary and feared green monkey, as they feared the legendary creature. The few that dared to stay changed their minds when they saw that the Logan boy was now as green as the terrifying monkeys and had no desire in sharing his fate. Not long after that was when the disaster happened, when his parents perished in the waterfall accident. When he heard of the accident the village chief took pity on the now mutant Garfield and cared for him until agents from the American government came to collect him.

Gar shook his head as he snapped out of his flashback. He turned to the sergeant.

"Please wait for me outside, in case the house collapses. If that happens I'll need someone to dig me out."

The sergeant nodded. As soon as Logan entered the house he turned to one of his soldiers.

"Get the radio out. We need to let the Commander know we found it."

The soldier dropped his backpack and as he was about to retrieve the radio, he heard something approach. He looked deep into the vegetation and saw a human figure leap out of the foliage with superhuman speed.

He never had a chance to warn his comrades.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The house looked worse on the inside than on the outside. All the windows were smashed, and the elements had done a number on the structure. The ceiling sagged in several places as the timbers holding up the roof were rotted. There were several holes in the roof as well and the afternoon sunlight leaked through them, casting weird and ominous shadows.

He walked carefully, but after several steps one of the floorboards snapped and he nearly fell into the basement below. He continued walking and made it to the wooden stairs that led down into the basement, but decided against using them as they were already in a state of partial collapse.

He walked back to where the broken floorboard was and began to pull the other boards off the floor. After a few minutes the basement was exposed, and he jumped down into it.

The remains of his parents' lab, which also were in a state of ruin, greeted him. He walked past the tables that were covered in dust and cobwebs, with beakers and test tubes that were long forgotten. He knew what he was looking for and made his way to his father's old office. Other than the dust and cobwebs, the office was eerily well preserved. There was a name plate on the desk, which announced its owner's name "Dr. Mark Logan.", and his father's journal was still open on the day of the waterfall accident. He looked at it, and it said:

"Marie is right; we need some more family time. The new canoe arrived yesterday and it's a beauty, it's amazing what you can buy from a catalogue these days. Marie is making a lunch to take and we'll go paddling down the river. For some reason there are no crocodiles downstream from the village and that suits me fine. I can't wait to see Gar's face when we head out. He's been asking for a canoe trip for ages."

Logan sniffled as a tear dripped down his face. Those were probably the last words his father ever wrote. He picked up the journal and slipped it into the knapsack on his back. He then saw a portrait on the desk. It was covered in dust and he wiped it clean with his sleeve. It was a family portrait of the three of them. He also slipped into knapsack. Those treasures secured, he returned to his original mission.

There was a small closet in the back of the room and in that closet was a safe where his father kept his notes. Gar knew the combination to the safe; it was the day, month and year of his birth.

He opened the closet door and as expected the safe was there. What was unexpected was that the safe was wide open.

It was also empty. Logan stared dumbfounded at the now vacant safe.

"It can't be … who would take his notes … who even knew about them?" He muttered to himself.

Gar began to fight back the tears welling in his eyes. His excursion had been completely in vain. His father's notes, with the formula for the serum were gone.

"I came here for nothing!" Gar shouted in anguish.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." A familiar baritone announced.

Gar felt a chill run down his spine and he spun around.

"Slade! It was you! You took the notes!"

 _ **-( - )-**_

A black hemisphere rose out of the riverbank and melted away, revealing Raven's blue and black clad form. The jungle was oppressively hot and humid, but she paid no mind to it. She saw the jeep and walked up to it. She saw that all the gear had been taken from it. She quickly scanned the vicinity with her senses, but no one was nearby. She levitated about forty feet into the air and looked around. There were plenty of footprints, which seemed to go in every direction. After a brief moment she found some that led to a trail into the foliage. She landed at trailhead and followed the trail. She could feel his aura, though it was very weak by now, along the trail. Still, it was strong enough to follow and she continued to walk. The trail was long and when space allowed it she levitated and flew along it. After almost an hour she reached a clearing.

She initially hid in the foliage, surveying the scene. She could see a run down house from her hiding place. She could feel Gar's aura, but only residually. That meant he wasn't there. But there was more, his aura felt troubled … even threatened.

Raven's pulse quickened, and as she began to step out of the jungle she saw it: three supine forms lying on the ground, motionless and … lifeless.

There had been ambushed. And if they were dead them maybe he was …

No, that was not an option. Throwing all caution to the wind, Raven flew into the house. His aura felt stronger there, but it was still residual. Raven rubbed her temples as she tried to calm herself. He wasn't in the house … so where was he? Did he slay the soldiers? Was she too late and he accidentally converted himself into a monster?

She shook the thought away. No, he would never do that. But if he didn't, then who murdered those men?

Raven glided down into the basement lab. She could tell from its state that no serums had been prepared there and a sigh of relief escaped her lips. She then noticed the open and empty safe. What did he find in there? Whatever it was, he took it and left with it. But where did he go?

Raven reached out with her senses, straining to determine which way he had gone. And that was when she sensed the other aura. Its owner was well trained in hiding it, but she felt it, and recognized it.

"Slade" She murmured. "Why are you here?"

She suppressed a shudder.

"And where did you take Gar?"

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _A few hours earlier …_

Gar balled his fists. He saw that Slade had a notebook in his hands. His father's notebook.

"That belongs to me. Hand it over, Slade."

The one eyed villain chuckled. "How does the saying go, Logan? 'Possession is nine tenths of the law'?"

"Give it to me."

Slade produced a retractable bo staff, which he extended. "If you want it, you'll have to take it from me."

Gar produced his own bo staff. "If that's how you want it."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Logan."

The two men began to fight. Bo staffs clashed. Kicks and punches were thrown. Slade didn't cut the smaller man any slack and the two fought furiously, until Slade was able to kick Garfield in the solar plexus. Logan fell down, but quickly remembered the technique Robin taught him to recover from having his wind knocked out and was back on his feet within a moment.

"Well done, Logan, well done. I see that Robin taught you well … but not well enough."

"I'm going to kick your ass, Slade."

"Garfield, Garfield." Slade chuckled. "You couldn't beat me when you had powers, what makes you think you can beat me now?"

"I'm gonna make you eat those words."

"Will you? I know you can't. Just like Robin knows you can't." He paused before continuing.

"Just like Raven knows you can't."

"Liar! She believes in me!"

Slade laughed loudly. "She believes in you? My dear boy, she only feels pity for you.

He paused again.

"She's only sticking with you because she's a creepy witch and demoness, and no one else will have her."

Gar screamed as he lunged at Slade, who parried his attacks. Slade counterattacked, but in a swift and elegant move Gar dropped to the ground and with a swift kick he swept Slade off his feet. Before the Titans' nemesis could recover he was on top of him, with a huge knife at Slade's throat.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you." Gar snarled in a feral voice.

"I have a very good one." Slade calmly replied.

A Slade-bot walked out of the shadows. It wasn't armed with a laser pistol. It was carrying … a green monkey, which it threw at Gar.

It landed on him, knocking him over. Before he could react it sank its teeth into his shoulder and Gar screamed in pain. The monkey then bolted and was gone.

Gar rose to his feet, his hand covering the bite, which was now bleeding profusely. As Slade rose to his feet the robot applied first aid to the wound on Gar's shoulder, stopping the hemorrhage.

"I'm … I'm infected again!" Gar's voice warbled. "You had this planned from the beginning!"

"And without the serum you will die in twenty for hours. But I have good news, Logan. I already prepared the serum and will be happy to give it to you."

Logan glared at the former assassin known as Deathstroke. "What do you want from me, Slade?"

"A very small favor, Logan, a very small favor. And in exchange I will give you the serum."

"How do I know you'll give me the serum, or that you even have it?"

"You don't know that; but what other choice do you have? Tick Tock, Logan. Time isn't on your side. Just do what I ask and you'll live to see your precious Raven again. I might be a villain Logan, but I do have a code of honor. I stand by my word and I will give you the serum your parents invented. So what is your choice?"

Gar pursed his lips.

"OK, what do I have to do?"

 _ **-( - )-**_

Poor Gar, he just made a bargain with the devil. But what choice does he have? Will Raven catch up with them?


	11. The Parents

His feet felt like they were made of lead, each step was more difficult than the previous one. His throat felt parched and he felt hot, so hot. He stopped and bent over, panting. A Slade-bot opened an ice cold water bottle and poured it over his head, briefly lowering his fever. Another droid opened a second bottle and handed it to him, and he quickly chugged it down. He then turned to his captor.

"How much further, Slade?"

"A few more miles. The sooner we get there and you perform the favor the sooner you'll have the antidote."

Logan dropped the empty bottle and resumed walking. After taking a few steps he stumbled and fell, landing face first on the ground. He rolled over and looked up at Slade.

"I can't take another step. I'm … dizzy"

Slade nodded at one of his robots. The android bent over and in a swift motion he picked up the young man and carried him.

"You don't need to walk. You are deteriorating faster than I anticipated."

A smirk appeared on Gar's face. "If I die too soon you won't get what you want … what is it Slade?" He rasped.

"You will learn once we get there." Slade then injected him with a hypospray. Gar gave him a puzzled look.

"What was that?"

"Gamma globulin."

Logan shook his head. "That won't help; I know that won't stop the Sakutia."

"It will buy us time. You're of no value to me dead, Logan. Plus I have no desire to earn Raven's ire should you die."

"Then you might as well give me the serum now."

"I will let you die if you don't cooperate. I would rather avoid Raven's revenge, but I will face it if I must."

Slade took off running, followed by his droids. The ride in the droid's arms was a series of jolts, each one inflicted serious pain on the young man, who gritted his teeth as his body felt as if it was on fire. The group disappeared back into the jungle.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The path was narrow and there wasn't much headroom either, so Raven had to run along it. She was sweating profusely and fatigue was beginning to set in. She had neglected to bring some water with her and she was beginning to regret it. She almost didn't see it as she jogged down the path, but see it she did. She slid to a stop. The water bottle was lying in the mud and she knelt as she reached for it. As soon as her hand touched she saw him. His aura was imprinted on the bottle and she didn't like what she saw: he was sick, very sick.

"What did you do to him, Slade?" She murmured as she pressed the bottle to her chakra stone. The vision of the green monkey appeared in her mind. She gasped and dropped the bottle.

"No." She whimpered before resuming her run.

"Hang in there, Gar; I'm coming."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Gar had closed his eyes and tried to rest as best he could in his bumpy ride, which seemed to last forever. Suddenly and with no warning, the droid stopped in its tracks. He slowly blinked as he raised his head.

"We have arrived, Logan. It's time to sing for your supper."

Gar stared as the scene slowly came into focus. A small concrete structure, which reminded him of the old Titan's safety bunker stood before him. Slade pointed to a small keypad on the exterior wall.

"Now, Logan; if you don't mind, the password please."

"Password? What password? Where are we?"

"This is your parent's secret bunker."

"Secret bunker? What are you talking about? They didn't have a bunker."

"They most certainly did, Logan."

"Why would they need one?"

Slade chuckled. "Do you have any idea of why your parents were in Lumumba?"

Gar's head felt like it was on fire. Even with the Gama Globulin shot he was fading and fast. He needed the serum, and soon. But Slade wanted something inside that bunker, and he couldn't get it without his help.

"They were doing vaccine research."

Slade chuckled. "Yes, that was their cover."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your parents were agents of the US government."

"What?"

"Dear boy, they weren't doing vaccine research … just the opposite."

Gar's eyes opened wide. "No! They would never!"

"I'm afraid so, they were weaponizing the jungle's viruses, including the Sakutia virus."

"That's a lie!" Logan snarled with unexpected vigor.

"Doesn't it strike you as convenient that they had the serum on hand to save you the first time you were bitten? We both know that the virus is fatal after 24 hours. They had already made it, just in case one of you became infected. Of course, your dear parents had no idea of the amazing side effect the serum would have on you."

Gar looked at the door. "You could blast your way in."

Slade shook his head. "Too risky, the vials could be destroyed, and I can't guess the password. Three wrong guesses and the lab will self destruct."

"Let me guess … that's in my dad's notebook."

"Correct, and it also says that you know the password."

Gar shook his head. "If I did, I forgot it a long time ago. Sorry, Slade, I can't help you." He paused as he coughed violently. "I need that serum, Slade … now!"

Slade shook his head. "A pity, you see, I don't have the serum on me … But I know there is some inside the bunker. So, Logan; the password if you please. Believe me; I don't want you to die."

"No way, even if I knew it, I wouldn't tell you. If you get your hands on it, you'll use it for evil."

"My dear boy; there is no other use for what's behind that door. And don't forget who created it."

Gar coughed again. "Go screw yourself."

"You'll never see her again." Slade replied in his monotone. "Because you will die."

"Wanna bet?" Another monotone shouted.

Raven flew out of the bushes and demolished the robots in one fell swoop of her dark energy. Slade watched calmly as she landed.

"You're going to pay for this, you bastard."

"You can still save him, Raven."

"He doesn't remember the password, you idiot! And there is some kind of dampening field inside, I can't teleport in." She screeched as she balled her fists. "He's gonna die, Slade." She began to sob. "And it's your doing." Her teeth became serrated and her crimson four eyed glare appeared. "When I'm done with you, you'll wish you had never been born."

Slade remained unexpectedly calm. "There is something else you could do."

"And what is that?"

"You could enter his mind and locate the password."

Raven's eyes widened.

"Of course, I will take my leave while you search for it."

Raven clenched her teeth. "You always find a way to escape."

"Yes, I do; but that's not important at this time. Tick tock, Raven. You had better hurry, time is running out."

Her face was screwed with anger. "If the serum isn't in there, I will hunt you down and make you pay, even if I have to summon my father's fire demons."

"I am aware of that. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to leave."

Suddenly, the sound of a hovering helicopter was heard. Raven looked up and saw a rope ladder drop. Slade hopped onto it and the chopper lifted off and flew away.

Raven turned to her beloved who was leaning against the locked door. She cupped his face and kissed him.

"Gar, I'm gonna enter your mind. We need to find this password ASAP."

"Go for it." He gasped for breath.

"I need you to recall any childhood memories you have of your parents. It's our only hope of finding the password. You should be in there too, as your younger self. I'll guide you … oh Azar, I really hope that password is in there."

He grabbed her hand.

"Rave?"

"Yes?"

"Just in case I don't make it."

"Don't say that, you're not gonna die."

"Just in case … " He swallowed as he gathered his breath. "Will you take me as you lawful wedded husband?"

Her eyes widened. "I will." She replied as she choked back a sob. "Garfield, will you take me as your lawful wedded wife?"

"I will." A small smile appeared on his face. "Do I get to kiss the bride?"

Raven leaned forward and kissed him. His smile widened. "I guess that means we're married."

"And it's going to be a long, happy marriage." She replied as she sat in the lotus position. "I'm coming in now, so think about your parents."

He nodded as Raven's soul self emerged from her body and flew into his.

He became limp and toppled over.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Sorry to keep you waiting, dear readers and I apologize for the short chapter.


	12. The Password

It was worse than she feared. This was the first time Raven ever entered Garfield's mind, and to be honest she had no idea of what sort of landscape she would find in there. Would it be a lush green forest? Or perhaps a joke shop?

What she found upon arrival was a jungle … a dying jungle. The leaves on the plants were mottled and shriveled up. The place had the stench of death. It reeked of it.

"Garfield!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, but he did not respond.

Slade was right, time was running out. She had to find him, and fast.

 _Think, Raven, think._

She fought back the urge to panic, and focused on the task at hand. She had told him to think of his parents.

 _The house!_

Raven took to the virtual sky above Gar's "Nevermore". The landscape below was surreal; it looked like something out of a Lewis Carroll story, with impossible topography. She really couldn't complain, her mental landscape was no less bizarre, if anything hers was worse. She rotated around as she levitated; straining her eyes as she scanned the topsy turvy horizon, until finally she saw it. She zoomed towards it like a cruise missile, and within moments she was there.

What she found was a decrepit house, not all that different from what the house looked like in the real world. Sitting on the porch, staring at the ground … was Garfield.

She immediately noticed that this Garfield, while "normal" was wearing a charcoal grey outfit.

It was an emoticlone.

She landed in front of him. He looked up at her with a sad look on his face.

"Hey, Rave." He greeted her in a flat monotone.

She kneeled before him and took his hands.

"Do you know the password?"

He looked away.

"My parents were bad guys."

"Yes, Garfield; they were. But that doesn't mean they didn't love you. Do you know the password?"

"Their research … it was going to be used to hurt people … lots of people." He replied in a dejected voice. "How could my parents do that?"

"I'm sure they had their reasons … Gar, time is running out. Do you know the password?" Her voice became tense.

"What password?"

"For the lab."

"My parents were doing evil in there."

"Gar, please …"

"They were evil, I must be evil too … I should die."

"I don't want you to die! Tell me the password, dammit!"

He curled up into a ball. "I don't know it."

Raven turned around and lifted off. Panic was now setting in. She needed to find Garfield, the real Garfield; but she had no idea where to look for him. From her perch in the sky she looked, she looked hard; but she didn't see anything. Using all her willpower she reigned in her fear and did what she did so well. She used logic.

"I need to find a happy Garfield, one who is happy to be with his parents." She talked to herself. "But where?"

It was then that it hit her. Gar often spoke about how happy he was the day he parents took him out in the canoe, of course; that outing ended in disaster with his parents falling to their deaths over a waterfall.

That's where he would be.

Raven scanned the horizon, looking for the river, but she couldn't see it as it was hidden below the jungle's canopy. There had to be a way to find it.

 _Think, Raven, think._

Nothing came to her mind beyond combing the jungle, and she had no time for that. She felt hot tears drip down her cheeks.

 _No! It's not over! There has to be a way to find the river._

The tears continued to cascade down her face. And then it hit her: the waterfall! The waterfall would make noise, she would be able to hear it if she got close.

She took off, flying a circular pattern, listening as carefully as she could. After what felt like a brief eternity she heard it: the sound of thundering water. She followed the sound and found a small clearing in the canopy and with it the waterfall. She made a beeline to it and flew upstream. Now she understood how his parents were caught by surprise and perished. The canopy absorbed the thundering sound, you could be just yards away and not hear it. She flew like a rocket and didn't have to fly far to find them.

She stared mesmerized at the scene before her. An adult Beast Boy, yes; he was green, sat in the canoe with his parents. His mother was unbelievably beautiful and his father looked exceedingly masculine and fatherly. Raven quickly realized that these were idealized versions of his parents, idols if you will. Beast Boy looked ecstatic to be with them. While he looked adult in his appearance, they interacted with him like he was a small boy. His mother smiled at him and would periodically kiss her son, while his father grinned approvingly. The canoe was flowing lazily down the small river and its occupants were unaware of the doom that was waiting ahead. His parents were oblivious to Raven's presence, and the sorceress hovered over the canoe. Finally, Beast Boy noticed her.

"Rave, come down and join us!"

She complied and landed next to him, sitting down.

"Gar, we need the password."

He ignored her request. "Mom, Dad, this is Raven. She's my wife."

Marie Logan smiled sweetly at Raven. She knew that this was Gar's fantasy: he was Beast Boy again and was introducing his new wife to his parents, who clearly approved.

"We've been dying to meet you, dear. Our Garfield found himself a nice girl."

Raven ignored the complement. "Do either of you know the password?"

"What password, dear?"

It had been worth a try. She turned to her husband.

"Gar, remember; you're sick with Sakutia. We need the password to get into the lab to get the serum for you."

"We already gave him the serum." Mark Logan interjected.

Raven could hear the waterfall approaching. Time was running out.

"He got bitten again."

"Doesn't matter, he's still protected … wait a minute … what's that?"

The waterfall was just yards away. Its thunder became louder and louder.

"A waterfall!" Marie shrieked. "Mark, do something!"

Raven saw Beast Boy turn pale. She could only guess how many times he had relived this nightmare. If she couldn't find the password, this would be the last time he would experience it.

"Garfield, Raven! Save yourselves!" Mark Logan shouted over the cataract's roar.

"No! I won't leave you behind!" Beast Boy shouted.

"You can't save us! Go to the safe house!" He shouted.

It was now or never. Raven grabbed Mark Logan by his shirt.

"We need the password to get in!"

Beast Boy snapped out of his terror. "I remember it now! It's my name, my full name!"

Raven closed her eyes. When she reopened them she was in front of the bunker. She ran to the door and keyed in "Garfield Mark Logan". Before pressing "enter" she looked to sky with pleading eyes.

"Azar, please let this be the password."

She pressed "enter" and her immense relief the door unlocked with a dull clunk and swung open. Using her powers she grabbed Garfield's still unconscious form and led him into the bunker, closing the door behind them.

 _ **-( - )-**_

They were in, but the battle was far from over. The lab was huge; there were tables and equipment in spades. She had no idea of where to begin. Finally, she saw a med station and placed Garfield on it. She connected a digital thermometer to him and saw that he was burning in fever. The basic training that she received at the Tower years before kicked in. There was a freezer with ice cubes in it and she poured a bucket of ice over him. The temperature reading dropped a couple of degrees, and he was temporarily out of danger.

Raven turned her attention back to the lab. She wasn't a biologist and she cursed her lack of knowledge.

 _Think, Raven, think._

Scientists kept lab notebooks, that much she knew. She looked around and found a bookcase. There was a table next to it, with an open lab notebook on it. She ran to the table, the notebook was almost full, with hundreds of pages of notes. She knew that his parents had to have made some note of what they did to him after the monkey bite; she just had to find it.

All those years of reading huge books were now an asset. Raven could speed read and actually retain what she read. She opened the note book on page one. She was flipping two pages a second, sweat forming on her brow as this was exceedingly fast even for her. She did not relent, even as mental fatigue began to set in. The adrenaline was pumping in her body and hard. Just as she felt she was near collapse she hit pay dirt and found the page. Pausing for a few seconds to recover she reread the page.

The serum they used was sample 134b in the refrigerator #4B. She looked and saw a bank of medical coolers, all humming. They were clearly labeled and she opened 4B. She quickly found the vial on the third shelf. As she held the vial in her hand it dawned on her that it was over 15 years old. She had no way of knowing if it was still good, and if it wasn't there wouldn't be time to prepare a new batch, not that she even knew how to do that. Swallowing hard she went to a glass cabinet and retrieved a hypo spray unit. She inserted the vial into it and it made a soft click and a green light on it indicated that it was ready to use.

Raven ran to Gar's side. His temperature, despite his being buried in ice, was rising again. She gulped. This was it, the end of the road. If it didn't work she would get to watch him die. She whispered a quick prayer and pressed the hypospray to his neck.

"I love you." She murmured.

She pressed the trigger and a hissing sound was heard as the serum was injected into his body. She dropped the hypospray and stepped back. In what Raven would later describe as the longest 5 minutes in her life, absolutely nothing happened. Garfield was still unconscious, burning in fever. Raven kept a stiff upper lip, and prayed for something, anything to happen.

And then, something did happen.

Garfield's temperature slowly began to drop. Raven quickly responded and placed an IV catheter in his arm, and promptly connected a saline solution bag to it. His temperature continued dropping and as it approached a normal temperature she saw what she later described as the most beautiful thing she ever saw:

He began to turn green.

Unable to contain herself any longer she leaned over him and began to weep. Beakers and other glassware in the lab shattered but she paid no mind as she continued to sob. Suddenly, he moved.

"Hi Rave." His voice rasped. "I'm really thirsty."

"Hi Gar." She smiled back at him before handing him a glass of water, which he gulped down.

"Did it work?"

"You be the judge." She replied as she handed him a small mirror.

He looked into the mirror and saw a green face staring back at him. Tears began to well in his eyes.

"I'm Beast Boy again!" He wailed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You're my husband; you aren't a 'boy' anymore. You need a new hero name."

He gave her a warm smile. "How about Beast Man?"

"Let's think of a better name … on our honeymoon."

His smile widened. "Hey Rave."

"Yes?"

"I read somewhere that until a newlywed couple consummates that their marriage isn't valid."

She nodded. "That is correct."

"Well?"

"Well, what?" She asked innocently.

He grabbed her and pulled her onto the med station.

"Here?" She shrieked. "Are you serious? You want us to make love here, in a laboratory?"

"You'd better believe it, mama."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Next chapter: The epilogue.


	13. Epilogue

_About 30 minutes later …_

Raven snapped shut the clasp on her signature blue cape, just as Beast … "Man?" stood up straight after retrieving his shirt from the floor. His back was covered in scars, mementos from years of defending Jump City and the world from evil and its agents. There was a particularly big one over his left kidney, a leftover from some emergency surgery that Cyborg had to perform in the field. Raven remembered that day well, she used her healing powers to assist the Tin Man in his task. She reached out and with her small and delicate index finger she traced the scar from top to bottom, reliving that terrifying day when a villain who called himself "The Neanderthal" speared the green Titan in the back. He had lost so much blood before Cyborg could stop the hemorrhaging. Using her powers she stimulated the production of new, replacement blood cells. It had been touch and go that day, not unlike what they had experienced a mere hour before.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips. One had to be crazy to be a super hero. It had to be the most thankless job in the world. Responding to her touch, still shirtless, he turned around. Seeing his well formed torso, with its impeccable abs made her eyes tremble. He smiled in reply, that goofy smile she loved from the day she met him, with his newly reformed fang poking out from his mouth. She threw her arms around him and raising her right leg she wrapped it around him. Their lips met and they kissed without any inhibition. Her hands went to his now again pointy ears and traced their outline.

"You want more? You know what fondling my ears does to me." He asked between kisses.

"I want more." She replied in an otherworldly, yet sensuous tone.

Before he could reply the sound of a jet powered craft landing was heard through the wall.

"Sounds like we have company." He whispered into her ear. "Will you take a rain check?"

She released him and looked him in the eyes. "I will and I intend to collect that rain check."

She turned towards a closed circuit TV and switched it on. It was the T-Ship.

"Whoa! They found us. I'll go let them in." He remarked as he headed to the door.

Raven went straight to the med station where they officially became husband and wife, and she tore the sheets off of it and threw them into an incinerator.

"What was that for?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"They don't need to know."

"That we're married?"

"No, they don't need to know that we consummated in here."

He smiled and nodded in agreement. The sound of a second jet was heard. The Batwing landed next to the T-Ship. The Logans proceeded to the shielded door and opened it. By the time they stepped out half the Justice League had joined the Titans, who were standing in front of the T-Ship, with happy looks on their faces. Starfire shot forward and wrapped her arms around the changeling.

"Garfield! You are Beast Boy again! Praise be to X'hal" She exclaimed before kissing him repeatedly. Raven was about to tell her that X'hal had nothing to do with it. Instead she had a different reply.

"Starfire, I know you are good friends with my husband, but would you please not kiss him quite so enthusiastically?" She smirked.

The Tamaranian released him and a high pitch gasp escaped her lips. She then began to shriek happily.

"What!? Are you saying that you and BB tied the knot? When did this happen?" Cyborg exclaimed, his face betraying his unbelief.

"About forty minutes ago, back inside the lab.

Robin ran up to Beast Boy and crossed his arms. A frown adorned his masked face. "You do understand that going on this boondoggle was incredibly dangerous, not to mention stupid and irresponsible. Raven was losing her mind worrying about you."

Beast boy nodded while looking away from the Boy Blunder. "I know, I know; you don't have to tell me … but … I had to do it."

"I know you had to do it." Robin then smiled and handed him his communicator. "Welcome back to the team. But next time you do something this crazy would you at least tell Raven or take her with you?"

Robin then turned to the sorceress. "Did you have any witnesses to your … 'ceremony'?"

Raven shook her head. "No, we didn't, no one witnessed us exchange vows … and yes, I know that makes our marriage null and void."

"I guess we're gonna need to have another ceremony once we get home." Robin replied, his smile widening.

"I will do the organizing." Starfire enthused with glee. "It will be a wedding to be remembered. It will be immortalized in song as the most magnificent wedding of all time."

"I'll take care of the food and the cake." Cyborg added, turning to Raven. "And yes, we're gonna go all out. The whole enchilada. The entire super hero community is gonna be there. And don't even think you can talk us out of it."

"I think there are more pressing matters at hand to deal with." A deep growl of a voice interrupted.

Batman stepped forward, flanked by Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman.

"Well done, Logan. We've been searching a long time for this lab. We're glad you found it."

The changeling's ears drooped. "Actually … it was Slade who found it. But he couldn't get in without me."

"Did Deathstroke enter the lab?"

"No, he didn't, Raven kicked his ass and he ran away, on a helicopter."

"He's long gone." Wonder Woman remarked. "Thank Zeus he didn't get his hands on what's in that lab."

Tears welled in the changeling's eyes.

"There is no way you could have known what your parents were doing, Logan." Superman spoke. "You were only a child back then."

He choked back a sob. "My parents were freaking bad guys."

"I think that they did what they did out of misguided patriotism." Batman gestured at the perfectly hidden bunker. "No one knew where this lab was, or if it even existed. Anyone who knew about it mysteriously disappeared. But the Chinese believed it was here somewhere, and speaking of them, there is a Lumumban army headed this way. We need to remove everything from this lab and take it to the Watchtower."

"The lab has a self destruct. Why not use that?"

Batman shook his head before addressing the changeling. "You said Slade knew of this lab? How did he find it?"

Gar frowned. "He has a bunch of my parents' notes. The stuff they kept back at the house."

"There's no telling what he knows." Hal Jordan remarked. "We need to take everything here to the Watchtower, then we'll destroy the lab."

"We'll need to study everything here and find antidotes for everything." Wonder woman added.

 _Two hours later …_

A loud explosion reverberated through the jungle and a large cloud of smoke billowed out of the now empty and destroyed lab. Raven and Beast Boy stared stoically at the ruin that was left, not noticing that the Justice League was already retreating. Their daze was interrupted when a green gloved hand palmed their shoulders.

"C'mon guys. We need to leave, the army will soon be here and we don't want them to know that we were here."

A few minutes later, the T-Ship took to the sky, leaving Lumumba, the lab, the old house and everything else connected with Beast Boy's past behind.

If only it would be that easy for the changeling to leave his personal past behind.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _A few hours later …_

The T-Ship banked to its right as Cyborg guided it on its final approach to the Tower. The roof top doors opened and the Titans signature air transport made a perfect landing in the rooftop hanger. The five, tired heroes climbed out of their compartments.

"Unless there's an emergency take the rest of the day off. " Robin announced. "Beast Boy, I especially want you to rest. Report tomorrow morning to the infirmary for a full check up. I want to be sure you're 100% back in form before you return to duty, understood?"

"I feel fine, but yeah, I'll let chrome dome check me out tomorrow."

"Good, I'll see all of you at dinner."

Robin quickly walked away, with Starfire following close behind him.

"I need a recharge, see you guys at dinner." Cyborg announced before he trotted off.

Raven and Garfield walked back quietly to their shared room. They entered together, and Garfield walked over to a dresser that had a large mirror on it. He removed his gloves and traced his face with his fingers, which wound up on the tips of his pointy ears.

"I'm me again."

"You were always yourself. Your appearance has nothing to do with it."

He continued to stare at his reflection. "It's more than that."

"Your powers also don't define you."

He closed his eyes. "That's not true."

"It is true. Even though you lost your powers you had the courage to be the most you could be. That's what defines who you are. Lesser men would have shrunk away, maybe found solace at the bottom of a bottle. You did no such thing, you faced adversity square in the eye and you didn't blink. You overcame it all."

He shook his head. "Not everything." He replied as he picked up a small framed photograph. It was of him and his parents, in front of the house in the jungle. It was one of the few mementos he had of them and it w as one of his most prized possessions. He grimaced as looked at it, and then slammed it onto the floor, shattering the glass.

"I went to Lumumba to recover my powers, but I lost something far more precious."

Raven kneeled and picked up the broken picture frame. Using her powers she repaired it and placed it back on the dresser.

"Yes, you learned the truth about your parents … Gar, I don't know why they were doing that research, and it's possible we'll never know; but what I do know is that your parents loved you. At the moment of their deaths they were concerned with your safety above all else."

"Yeah, they loved me … big whoop."

"Yes, very big whoop." She replied. "Gar, your parents were not monsters. Were they doing questionable things? Yes, they were. But they were not evil monsters. Gar … my father really was a monster, he was evil incarnate … and I am his flesh and blood."

He glared at her. "No! You're nothing like him."

Raven shook her head. "Gar, I'm half demon, I'm a lot more like him than I wish, and the truth is that no amount of wishing will change that."

"That's not true."

"Gar … I can feel the evil in me. I have to meditate to keep it under control. You know it, you've been in my mind, you know what lurks in there; you've seen it for yourself."

He crossed his arms and pouted. "OK, you made your point. But … you always knew he was evil."

She nodded. "Gar, I understand how devastated you're feeling … I can feel it … please don't let this unpleasant discovery ruin the love you have for them."

Tears dripped down his face. "How do I do that?"

She pulled him into a hug. "We'll find a way."

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _One month later …_

"Raven! Phone call!" Cyborg shouted. "It's a Mrs. Fontani."

The grey sorceress frowned. It had been months since she last heard from the Bishop's secretary. Why was she calling now?

After returning from Lumumba, Garfield contacted his adoptive parents and told them that there wouldn't be Church wedding and why (because Raven didn't wish to be baptized). Steve and Rita were bitterly disappointed, but they eventually told Garfield that whatever ceremony he and Raven chose would fine with them.

Cyborg passed the wireless handset to her.

"This is Raven … hello Mrs. Fontani … yes, Gar and I are doing well … you do? … really? Yes, I will let Garfield know, thanks for calling."

The changeling was playing a video game with Grayson, who was now wearing his new Nightwing costume. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he shouted out to his fiancée.

"Let me know what?"

She sat down next to him. "Steve and Rita have more clout than I thought. They contacted the Bishop and got him to change his mind and grant us a "disparity of cult" dispensation.

"What does that mean?" Cyborg asked.

"It's a dispensation that allows Gar to marry an unbaptized person in the Church. Apparently Steve had a long chat explaining to the Bishop that my heritage, while demonic, is not Satanic. The Bishop didn't buy that when I explained it to him a few months ago; but apparently Mento can be very "persuasive"."

"You mean he used his mental powers to get the Bishop to change his mind?" Logan asked.

"I honestly don't know, but I wouldn't put it past him. Regardless of how he did it, it's done. Anyway, she said that someone will be calling to set things up … apparently; we are getting married in the Cathedral in downtown Jump."

"Oooh! Classy! Very highbrow. Just like Lady Diana and Prince Charles' wedding." Cyborg enthused.

"Need I enumerate how many things are wrong with that comparison? Different denominations, different churches, different countries, we aren't royalty and, I might add; their marriage was a disaster and it failed."

Cyborg grinned. "It's a great comparison. You guys are the closest thing Jump has to royalty."

Raven gave him a mild glare. "That's not even funny. Besides, that honor belongs to Starfire and Nightwing."

"You think I'm joking? Just wait until I send out a press release officially announcing your engagement. The local, national and international media is gonna go bonkers."

"I thought we agreed to keep it unannounced, for obvious reasons."

"You guys are gonna have to announce it sometime, Raven. There's no way you're keeping this a secret until your wedding day."

Raven face palmed. "Why did I ever make that promise to Steve and Rita? We could have had a judge quietly marry us here at the Tower."

Starfire was in the kitchen, cooking some indigestible Tamaranian recipe made with weird alien slugs and spices that were possibly toxic for humans. She turned off the burner on the stove and walked over to where Raven was standing.

"Your wedding, it will be glorious. I have studied the Catholic rite of marriage, and it will have the pomp and circumstance. And the Cathedral is very big, it seats 3000 people, you will be able to invite many guests to your wedding"

Raven's only response was a frown.

"You do not wish for such a wedding?"

"How did you ever guess?" Raven replied.

"But I do not understand. Is it too grand for you? On Tamaran, our weddings can take days …"

"Wait a minute; I was there when Blackfire tried to marry you off to that … thing. Sure, there were far too many guests, but the ceremony was exceedingly simple and short."

Starfire nodded. "Yes, because we were using the abbreviated Sklurch ceremony. The Tamaranian ceremony begins with the recital of the 800 verse Ode to Marriage, after that …"

"I get the picture Starfire; it could be worse … A LOT WORSE. That sounds like a nightmare."

The princess became crestfallen. "You will not come to my wedding?"

Raven sighed. "Of course I will. It's just my wedding … I just wanted it to be simple. Just the Titans and the judge. No pomp and circumstance, no wedding gown … you know me, Starfire."

The princess smiled. "Do not worry Raven. I will organize everything and do the "keeping simple". All you will have to worry about is your role in the ceremony."

Raven sighed. She already knew that there was no way she was getting out of this commitment.

"Thanks, Starfire. I guess I will survive this ordeal after all."

"Glorious! Tomorrow we will go to the Bridal Superstore to look at the dresses … all 3000 of them!"

Raven groaned.

 _ **-( - )-**_

 _About fifteen years later …_

Cyborg hummed happily as he carried platters of food to the now much larger dinner table at Titans Tower. As soon as he placed them down he pulled out his communicator.

"Dinner's ready, y'all! Come and get it!"

The Grayson's arrived first. Dick was attired in the latest version of his Nightwing costume, with red wings spread across his chest. Starfire was wearing a very revealing costume that highlighted her now fully mature form. And joining them, dressed in an outfit similar to the one Starfire wore as a teen was a raven haired ten year old girl with glowing green eyes: Mar'i Grayson, AKA Nightstar.

"Well hello there, little lady." Cyborg greeted Mar'i "How was your trip with mom to Tamaran?"

"I couldn't wait to get home. The food over there is horrible!"

"You don't have to tell me about that. I figured as much and made your favorite dinner tonight: Meatloaf a la Victor!"

Nightstar quickly sat down at the table, her eyes betraying how hungry she was.

"Thanks, Uncle Vic; you're the best!"

The sliding doors opened a second time. Raven entered first, and had a 13 year old girl who would have been identical to her younger self, except she had green eyes and pointed ears. They were having a heated exchange. Garfield, who was now known as "The Beast" and three more of their younger children: Dylan, Mark and young Coraline, who was only five years old; followed at a safe and prudent distance.

"Why can't I be a Titan!?" Arella whined to her mother. "It's not fair."

"Why? Because you're only 13."

"I'm gonna be 14 next month. I already made my costume."

"Fourteen is also too young."

"No way! You became a Titan when you were 14!"

"I was almost 15, and for the record I was also too young back then."

Arella heaved an exasperated groan. "Mom! You saved the whole universe from Trigon just after you turned sixteen." She turned to her father. "Dad! Mom's being unreasonable, again. Do something!"

"Your mother is never unreasonable."

She plopped down on her chair at the table. "I knew you were gonna say that."

Garfield, who still had his green hair, glanced at his wife, who had her arms crossed. "Rave, I think we should tell her now."

She uncrossed her arms. "Agreed, but let me tell her."

"Tell me what?" Arella asked.

Raven gave her daughter an intense look that would scared anyone else away. Problem was, Arella wasn't just anyone, she was Raven's firstborn.

"Before I tell you, know this: if you are not 100% in agreement with what I am about to tell you, the offer will become null and void and you will have to wait until you turn 18 … understood?"

Arella became wide eyed and nodded. Yes, mom."

Raven recrossed her arms. "You may become a Titan on your 15th birthday, and you will begin your training on your 14th birthday."

Arella stared dumbfounded at her mother.

"What, no wisecracks, no complaints? You aren't gonna try to bargain to start earlier?"

The violet haired girl quickly shook her head. "Nope, I'm good."

Arella turned to Nightstar and the two girls high fived. Raven whispered to her husband.

"We should have said sixteen."

The End


End file.
